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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/30132102">the grass is greener</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/tuesdead/pseuds/tuesdead'>tuesdead</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>the grass is greener (another life) [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Naruto</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>A little angst here and there, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anbu Hatake Kakashi, Anbu Uchiha Itachi, BAMF Uzumaki Naruto, Canon Rewrite, Female Uzumaki Naruto, Gen, Implied Future Polyamory, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Kekkei Genkai Naruto, Kekkei Genkai | Bloodline Limit, Mostly Fluff, Naruto is raised by the Nara Clan, Naruto talks a lot, No Uchiha Massacre, Non-Graphic Violence, Not Canon Compliant, Smart Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Shisui Lives, but you don't know it, canon? idk her, danzo released kurama, hiruzen and danzo plotted minato and kushina's deaths, itachi and shisui are naruto's big brothers, itachi and shisui teach her how t fight, naruto having healthy relationships as a child, naruto using her nose!, not explicitly stated, possible implied rape/non-con, sandaime is a bad guy, she can use karin's bloodline limit, shikaku teaches naruto shogi, so does shikaku, there are probably plotholes but i don't care, there's gonna be a sequel, they kind of adopt her, this part of the series is complete, we hate danzo club</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 16:35:46</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>35,907</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/30132102</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/tuesdead/pseuds/tuesdead</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Naruto's sixth birthday sets off a chain of events that will turn the Leaf Village as we know it on its head.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hatake Kakashi &amp; Uzumaki Naruto, Nara Shikaku &amp; Nara Shikamaru &amp; Nara Yoshino &amp; Uzumaki Naruto, Nara Shikaku &amp; Uzumaki Naruto, Nara Shikamaru &amp; Uzumaki Naruto, Nara Yoshino &amp; Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Itachi &amp; Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Shisui &amp; Uzumaki Naruto, Uzumaki Naruto &amp; Everyone</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>the grass is greener (another life) [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2217642</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>136</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>262</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Prologue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>SOMETHING TO KEEP IN MIND BEFORE WE BEGIN: At the beginning of several scenes, we're given a month and an age. These will always, <em>always</em> be in relation to Naruto! Hers is the age we see at the beginning of each section!! I want to make that clear because it will keep the timeline straight for everybody!</p><p>Please heed the tags! Take care of yourselves, drink some water, eat some fruit!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Shikamaru meets her on accident. He’s on his way home from cloud watching at the park and he gets a little lost on his way home because he’s pretty tired and he wasn’t exactly paying attention. If he can just figure out <em> when </em> he made the wrong turn, he can find his way back, but he honestly doesn’t remember <em> which </em> turns he took. He doesn’t even remember which direction he was walking in. (Looking around, he really wishes he could--this is the bad part of town!)</p><p>
  <em> Tou-san’s going to kill me. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> That is if I don’t get killed, first. </em>
</p><p>Shikamaru plops down on a bench, frustrated and annoyed, and every other word that fits, because he’s <em> really done it this time </em> . It’s not dusk, yet, but the amount of light in the sky is definitely lessening, and if he’s going to make it home for dinner, he needs to figure out the way <em> now </em>. He distinctly remembers his father telling him to be home before dusk today.</p><p>
  <em> I really don’t want to have to ask for directions… The red light district isn’t exactly safe, even in a shinobi village. </em>
</p><p>A scream pulls him from his thoughts, prompting him to his feet. Even though he’s just a kid, his morals and his instincts don’t let him ignore a sound of distress, especially one from another kid. He follows the sound into an alley even though he probably shouldn’t, because what good are <em> two </em> little kids in a fight? Shikamaru’s not an idiot, he knows what kind of things happen to little kids in places like this, but he can’t just run away! What if something really bad happens to the other one? What if he could’ve helped, but instead he’d just gone the other way? Then he’s no better than the ones causing the problem.</p><p>“Hey!”</p><p>Two men in chunin vests pause, squinting at Shikamaru from the other end of the grimy alley. They have a little kid, smaller than Shikamaru, pinned to the side of one of the buildings. She’s hanging there, limp and whimpering, and when he squints, he can see the weapon they’re holding against her throat. “Scram, kid.”</p><p>Praying his voice doesn’t shake, Shikamaru swipes a hand through the air. “No way! My father’s a jounin and he’s just around the corner. He’s not gonna be happy when he sees two jerks preying on a little kid!”</p><p>With a shared look, they drop the girl and leap away, probably over rooftops to cover more ground because <em>surely</em>, if some kid heard the scream, then his jounin father had as well. He shakes his head, rushing over and kneeling beside the other kid, who’s--<em>bleeding, she’s bleeding, what were they trying to</em> <em>do?</em></p><p>But before he can figure out just how deep the cut under her jaw is, the blood slows to a stop and the wound closes over right before his eyes.</p><p>
  <em> What is this, some kind of Jutsu? </em>
</p><p>“Are you okay?”</p><p>The girl scrambles back when she hears his voice, bumping into the wall behind her because her eyes are still squeezed shut in fear. Shikamaru might be pretty well off, but his father’s a shinobi, and he knows what it looks like when a person is reliving something horrific. Something tells Shikamaru that this isn’t the first time she’s been attacked.</p><p>“Hey, I’m not gonna hurt you. Did they get you anywhere else?” He’s pretty sure you’re supposed to ask that, right? “Look, they might come back. Where do you live?”</p><p>And something in his chest feels like it cracks apart when the girl raises a hand and points to the building behind her, blinking her eyes open to stare him down.</p><p>
  <em> Hey, her eyes are blue. </em>
</p><p>“Are your parents home?”</p><p>She makes a face, something of a pout with a bit of anger mixed in. “Don’t have none.”</p><p>“You don’t have parents? What about a guardian? Who takes care of you?”</p><p>Her eyes turn hard, glinting in the dimming light, and the girl crosses her arms. “I said I don’t have <em> none </em>. S’just me!”</p><p>Shikamaru’s never heard of a kid that lives alone before. What kind of village lets some little kid grow up all alone like that? How does she eat? Who tells her she has to bathe before dinner? Who makes her go to bed, or cooks for her, or teaches her to read?</p><p>“I didn’t know that was possible.”</p><p>Her cheeks flush red, but he doesn’t know if she’s embarrassed or mad at him. “Well, I ain’t got no choice! Nobody wants to take care of me, Jiji said so! And Jiji’s too busy all the time, so he put me here! ‘Cause at least here, they can’t afford to be picky about their… their… their tenants!” She grins, pleased with herself, but all Shikamaru can see is the neglect. He wonders if she actually knows what she’s talking about, or if she’s just repeating what this ‘Jiji’ person said to her.</p><p>“Say, do you know how to get back to the market street?”</p><p>The girl gives him a firm nod, but her face falls. “Jiji says m’not supposed to be out tonight. Marked it on the calendar in red.”</p><p>“Well, what if you’re with a friend? I got lost on my way home. I’ve never been here before, and my dad is gonna be pretty mad if he has to go looking for me. But… I don’t think my parents will mind if you stay for dinner.”</p><p>The girl makes a face, one hand pressing against the healed wound that chunin had left on her. Like she doesn’t actually believe what he’s telling her.</p><p>“Look, my family doesn’t have a bunch of friends or anything, but they’re nice. I’m guessing my dad doesn’t know about what’s going on in this district, or he’d be pretty mad about it.” Shikamaru cocks his head. “Tch, I didn’t even introduce myself, I got all worried and forgot.” He tries to smile, hoping to put her at ease. “My name’s Nara Shikamaru. I’m the heir of my clan, which means that one day, I’m gonna be in charge. But for now, that’s my dad. I’m pretty glad, though, because being in charge sounds like a lot of work, and it’s all pretty troublesome to me.”</p><p>A moment passes, and then another. The girl leans forward on her knees, hands pressing into the dirt beneath them, fingers making claws that make little paths in the dust. “Shi-ka-ma-ru,” she tests, and then she smiles, a real smile, eyes squeezing shut and everything. He doesn’t know why, but he’s really, really glad she has it in her to smile after everything she's been through tonight.</p><p>“Okay,” she says as she stands up, dusting off her trousers. “Come with me!” She turns to him, her face gone all serious again. “But if the mean people come back, you gotta run away, okay?” And then she grabs his sleeve and hauls him out of the alley, a bounce in her step. “Oh! I’m Uzumaki Naruto, dattebayo!”</p><p>
  <em> Datte...bayo? What is that, some kind of verbal tic? Man, this is just gonna get more and more troublesome, huh? </em>
</p><p>-</p><p>As it turns out, the streets are pretty quiet on their route through the village, though Shikamaru does notice a few glares directed at them while they walk. Except, the glares aren’t really directed at <em> them </em> , they’re directed at <em> her </em>, at Uzumaki Naruto, who tells him that today’s her birthday and she’s finally six years old.</p><p>She gets him all the way to his clan compound, which is actually pretty confusing because he hadn’t realized he was almost home until they stopped on the road in front of the compound gate. Apparently, there’s more than one way to his house. Her route hadn’t been the most direct, but there had been fewer people than he’s used to seeing, which answers some questions but also makes him want to ask more.</p><p>His father’s the one standing at the gate, arms crossed. His glare is directed at Shikamaru, and Shikamaru alone. Even so, Naruto seems to fold in on herself, and Shikamaru doesn’t know why, exactly, but he puts himself almost directly in front of her.</p><p>“I’m sorry for being late,” he says quickly. “I got lost because I wasn’t paying attention, but I made a new friend and she brought me home.”</p><p>His father watches them for a moment, and then two. Just when Shikamaru thinks he’s going to do that thing where he’s angry without <em> saying </em> he’s angry, the man sighs. “The least we can do is invite your friend in for dinner.” But his expression softens quite a bit.</p><p>And Shikamaru breathes a sigh of relief because he doesn’t know what he would’ve done if his father turned against the girl, too.</p><p>By the time he has Naruto convinced that his mom is safe to be around and she’s ushered toward the bathroom to get cleaned up, his father’s outright pacing, fingers tap-tap-tapping against his palms. “Tell me what happened.”</p><p>Shikamaru skips everything leading up to the part where he heard her scream since his dad already knows that he got lost. He explains the chunin he saw and the wound that closed up, and the way Naruto behaved as though everybody’s out to hurt her. By the time he‘s finished, the Nara patriarch is practically shaking with rage. He looks Shikamaru in the eye, voice pitched low, and says, “Promise me that you’ll keep her around.”</p><p>Shikamaru crosses his arms. “She’s not going home.”</p><p>And if anything, his father’s face falls. He leans back in his seat with a sigh. “I wish she didn’t have to, but legally, I cannot move her in.”</p><p>
  <em> Legally? </em>
</p><p>It all sounds like a bunch of baloney to Shikamaru, and he just barely refrains from saying so. “So, if anybody asks, we’re having a sleepover.” He squints at his dad. “Every night.”</p><p>A moment passes. His father opens his mouth to reply, but closes it almost immediately, crossing his arms over his chest. “That might work, Shika-chan.”</p><p>“Shikamaru~!” they hear before his father can continue, and the tiny blonde in question bounds into the room wearing some of Shikamaru’s clothes. She pauses, eyes widening when she remembers that Shikamaru isn’t alone, and folds her hands in front of her to bow to the head of the clan. “Arigatou, Nara-san!” Shikamaru’s mother isn’t far behind, a smile on her face.</p><p>“That’s alright, Naruto-chan.” His father leans over to ruffle her hair. “Do you feel better?”</p><p>“Hai!” She beams at him before climbing onto the chair beside Shikamaru. “I’ve never had a hot bath before! The water in my ‘partment’s always cold. And I don’t have a bathtub, anyway, just a shower.”</p><p>Shikamaru gives her a smile, ignoring the horrified looks on his parents’ faces. “Well, you’ll just have to come over all the time, then, huh?”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Inu-san~</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Naruto makes a friend and winds up with a family.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>[october; age six]</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Naruto’s sixth birthday starts off the same way all of the others had. She knows she’s not supposed to leave her apartment, ‘cause the people that usually just glare at her seem like they’re ready to kill her, but she </span>
  <em>
    <span>has</span>
  </em>
  <span> to ‘cause she doesn’t have any milk and she’s all out of ramen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But she doesn’t make it very far at all. The two that grab her this time don’t look all that different than the ones that tried to grab her last week, and she can’t smell Dog </span>
  <em>
    <span>anywhere</span>
  </em>
  <span>, or she’d be safe. Dog always protects her when he’s around and stuff like this happens, but he’s not around all that often. And even when he is, he pretty much just follows her from far away. He never talks to her, and the few times she’s managed to get close, his mismatched eyes hold so much pain when she looks into the eyeholes of his mask that she doesn’t know if he’s in pain because of her, or if he’s just how he always is. He always </span>
  <em>
    <span>smells</span>
  </em>
  <span> sad, like the same way the angry people smell when they aren’t angry.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She really doesn’t expect anybody to help her, but somebody </span>
  <em>
    <span>does</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and he’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>nice</span>
  </em>
  <span>. And he talks to her! He talks to her, and asks her for help (</span>
  <em>
    <span>nobody</span>
  </em>
  <span> asks Naruto for help), and introduces her to his parents, and his </span>
  <em>
    <span>parents</span>
  </em>
  <span> are nice too! His parents are so nice, in fact, that they tell Naruto she can stay at their home whenever she wants!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>(She wants to all the time, even though they make her go to bed at a certain time, and make her take a bath every day, and make her learn how to read and write because all of these things are actually kind of nice, and Naruto thinks she’ll keep up with it even if Shikamaru’s family decides she can’t stay with them anymore.)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Naruto-chan.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She pushes herself up off the grass beside Shikamaru, squinting against the daylight until she spots Shikamaru’s father and grins. Shikaku really has become one of her favorite people in the village, ‘cause he never yells at her, even when he’s mad. “Hai!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come over here, I want to teach you a game.” He waves her over, handing her an instruction booklet, and Naruto eagerly opens it up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sho-gi… What kind of game is it, Shikaku-ji?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He smiles, and Naruto hopes that she’s able to learn it. She doesn’t want to disappoint him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s a strategy game, Naruto-chan. Shika-chan whined the only time I tried to teach him, but something tells me you’re going to like it once you get the hang of it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[october; age seven]</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Naruto has a hard time sleeping in. She’s always been an early riser, even when she didn’t have a bedtime, so now that she’s in bed before nine o’clock almost every night, her eyes are wide open by four-thirty. The first few times, she tried to be careful not to wake Shikamaru up, because he’s the kind of person that doesn’t want to be awake before ten, but then she realized that his house could blow up and he’d probably sleep through it. She doesn’t worry so much anymore.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Usually, the other occupants of the house aren’t awake yet, either, but when Naruto tiptoes out of Shikamaru’s bedroom, she overhears hushed voices coming from the direction of the kitchen. And she knows she shouldn’t eavesdrop, she does! But when Shikaku says her name like that, really sad and everything, she can’t just go about her business! What if she did something wrong? Why does he sound so sad because of her?</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“...doing to her, Inoichi. Shikamaru caught chunin trying to kill her! Sandaime has her living in a building infested with rats and she doesn’t have hot water! If her parents knew-”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Shikaku!”</span>
  </em>
  <span> the other man cuts him off.</span>
  <em>
    <span> “Are you trying to commit treason?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>She hears a groan come from the man who’s been so kind to her. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Kushina would’ve torn somebody’s throat out by now, Inoichi. Minato-sama… Dammit, he would’ve-”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Are those her parents' names? Kushina and Minato? Does that mean Shikamaru’s dad knows her parents?</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“On the bright side, you didn’t break the law. There’s no law that says we have to send her away if our kids bring her home.”</span>
  </em>
  <span> The other person, this Inoichi, heaves a sigh. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Maa, Shikaku, at least she looks a lot healthier now. She’s not all skin and bones.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Before she knows it, Naruto finds herself sneaking out of the house. She doesn’t go far, because she doesn’t want to worry anybody, but this day already isn’t going the way she expected.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Well, as far as birthdays go, it can’t be as bad as last year, right? This time, she already has a friend, and his family, so as long as she doesn’t go anywhere, things will be okay, right?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe one day, whatever makes it wrong for Shikaku to tell her about her parents won’t be wrong anymore, and she can learn all about them. Or, maybe he’ll find a way around it. He’s pretty smart, after all.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[october; age seven]</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Naruto doesn’t really go to the playground with Shikamaru too often. He has other friends, and most parents don’t let their kids play with Naruto, and she doesn’t want to monopolize (Yoshino-chan just taught her that word!) all of Shikamaru’s time. She’d hate it if people stopped letting their kids around Shikamaru just because of Naruto. (She can hear them now: </span>
  <em>
    <span>Why would Nara-san let his child around the Demon Brat? There’s something wrong with that family.</span>
  </em>
  <span>)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When she </span>
  <em>
    <span>does</span>
  </em>
  <span> go, she mostly sticks to the treeline and watches the clouds, keeping away from the other kids and the suspicious eyes of their parents.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nii-san, do you think she’s dead?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her nose twitches, but she keeps her eyes shut. Maybe if she pretends she’s asleep, the two new kids will go away without calling attention to her. If they make a scene, Shikamaru might get involved. It wouldn’t be the first time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>One of them laughs, soft and light like Yoshino-chan does when Naruto asks a question out of nowhere. “Don’t be silly, Sasuke. Go play with your friends.” A set of footsteps hurries away while the other settles nearby. “You’re not dead, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>So much for my plan.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Naruto rolls onto her side, looking up at the boy sitting beside her. It only takes a few seconds for her to push herself up in surprise. “Ne~, you’re a ninja?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The boy smiles, but it doesn’t really reach his eyes. His face, though young, is lined with stress. “Ah. It’s my day off, though, and it’s the first I’ve been able to spend time with Sasuke in a while.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, you’re not </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> spending time with him if he’s playing with his friends.” Her nose doesn’t lie to her, though, and she puffs out her cheeks. “You’re hurt, though, so I guess that’s why.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm?” The boy studies her for a moment. His expression doesn’t change, but she knows he must be trying to figure her out. “How did you know?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She only smiles. This stranger doesn’t need to know about Naruto’s hidden talents, so she smiles and shrugs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My name is Uchiha Itachi.” With another smile, he folds his hands in his lap and returns his attention to the children on the playground. A part of her wonders if he has friends, and if he ever got to play with them the way his little brother is now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uzumaki Naruto, ‘ttebayo!” Her hands tangle in the grass beneath them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why aren’t you out there with the other kids, Uzumaki-san?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Naruto tries to find the words to say to make the ninja understand, but it’s not so easy to tell somebody </span>
  <em>
    <span>“I’m some kind of monster or something.”</span>
  </em>
  <span> She’s lucky enough that Shikamaru and his family care about her; it’s unlikely that this boy will be so understanding.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She doesn’t want to lie to him, though.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Their parents are afraid of me.” She shrugs. “It’s okay. If I went over there, Shika-chan would play with me, but I don’t want to make people afraid of him because he’s my friend. I’m just here ‘cause Shikaku-ji’s worried that if Shika-chan tries to go home alone, he’ll get lost again.” Even as the words are leaving her, Naruto wonders if she’s talking too much, but she can’t help it! He hasn’t left, yet, so maybe he doesn’t mind if she’s talking so much. And she can only tell Shikamaru the same thing so many times before he rolls his eyes and tells her she’s troublesome (she doesn’t think he actually minds all that much, though, because he still tells her to stay at his house all the time, and complains when he doesn’t see her for a couple of days).</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Itachi cocks his head, looking down at her. “Does he get lost often?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Naruto laughs at the idea of Shikamaru getting lost all the time, shaking her head. “Not really, but maybe that’s because his dad doesn’t usually let him go to the park on his own. But Shikaku-ji has some important mission, and Yoshino-chan said she couldn’t pick Shika-chan up because there’s some kind of clan meeting. And the last time Shikamaru tried to get home by himself, he got lost, and that’s how we met! He saved me and everything, and I walked him home, and Shikamaru never really let me leave. Well, I go home all the time, but he doesn’t like it when I do because he says it’s dangerous and stupid that I live alone.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Itachi’s face is grim (Yoshino-chan taught her that word, too!) when he asks, “What did he save you from? How old are you, Uzumaki-san?”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Should I be telling him this stuff? I don’t really know him.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>But he’s already been so nice to her. He’s not running away, or calling her a monster, or taking his brother far away from her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well… sometimes, people try to hurt me. Shika-chan rescued me from some people who were trying to kill me the day we met, but it doesn’t happen as often now that his family looks out for me.” She flops onto her back, letting her eyes drift up toward the clouds. “And I just turned seven a couple of weeks ago, ‘ttebayo! Shika-chan’s birthday is only a few weeks before mine, and he doesn’t really like to have parties, so we just had a picnic with his mom and dad for both of us.” A thought occurs to her. “I think Shika-chan’s probably the best birthday present I ever got, though.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Itachi seems to mull that over, getting lost in his thoughts, and Naruto lets her mind drift along with the clouds, too, until her nose twitches and she leaps to her feet, throwing herself toward a scent she recognizes all too well.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Inu-san~!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uzumaki-san, wait a minute-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dog catches her with a grunt, and she catches a whiff of his blood, but he doesn’t set her down. He shifts her weight into his left arm and crosses the space between them and Itachi. She beams at her newest acquaintance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maa, Itachi-chan, don’t look so worried. Naruto-chan would never hurt me, isn’t that right?” Dog’s voice is gentle. He lowers himself onto the ground, taking over the spot that Naruto abandoned, and he settles her into his lap, dropping his chin onto the top of her head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hai!” Her nose twitches again. “Inu-san~, did you at least go to the hospital this time?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He hums without really giving her an answer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do we have a new mission, Inu-senpai?”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Senpai? Does that mean Itachi’s in ANBU with Dog?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“No. Hokage-sama wants us to take some time off to recuperate.” Dog tugs on Naruto’s hair, taking it out of her messy pigtails and fixing them. When he sighs this time, a wave of sadness washes over Naruto’s nose, making her worry. “Naruto-chan, I’m sorry I missed your birthday.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Is he sad because of me?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t be sad, Inu-san! It’s okay!” She tips her head back to meet his gaze through the holes of his mask. “Jiji keeps you busy all the time, anyway, and you’re always sad, and I don’t wanna make you even sadder!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>If anything, his eyes look even more pained. “You don’t make me sad, Naruto.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her nose twitches. It doesn’t smell like a lie, but he gets even sadder as he says it. “Maybe I don’t make you sad, but you’re even sadder because of me!” Naruto groans, feeling dumber than she has in a while. “Now I’m not making any sense!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And Dog laughs. She’s never heard him laugh like that before, and since he wears a mask, she’s never seen him smile, but his scent changes just a little, loses a bit of that despair (Shikaku-ji taught her that one, though). His left arm tightens around her middle. “Maa, Naruto-chan. You're not the reason for my pain, but you do make it easier to bear.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Naruto considers that for a moment, squinting up at him, but she </span>
  <em>
    <span>still </span>
  </em>
  <span>can’t smell a lie. It makes her feel a lot better to know she’s not making Dog sad, that Dog likes being around her. That she makes his pain more tolerable (Shikamaru taught her that one!).</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Inu-senpai,” Itachi eventually interrupts her staring contest with Dog. “You really should get that wound checked out at the hospital.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dog whines, dropping his chin onto Naruto’s head again.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Onii-san?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Naruto has started going to the Academy, and she has quite a lot to say about it to a surprisingly willing ear. A bond is forged.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I forgot to mention it before, but the chapter length is going to vary quite a bit.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em> [may; age seven] </em>
</p><p>The next time Naruto sees Itachi, he’s underneath a mask similar to Dog’s, and she’s smart enough to know that she’s not supposed to say his real name when he’s underneath an ANBU mask.</p><p>Plus, she doesn’t want to be impolite, so from her perch atop one of Jiji’s bookshelves, she greets Itachi with a grin. “Ohaiyo, Yamane-san!”</p><p>He bows to Jiji first, like he’s supposed to, but then he waves at her. She doesn’t recognize the other ANBU agents with him, but that’s okay because she thinks it’s funny that they all smell of the same surprise and confusion. Jiji smells pleased when he asks for the team’s report.</p><p>The group of ANBU agents also smell tired and dirty, like they worked really hard, ran all night, and didn’t get any sleep in between, so Naruto reminds herself to check on Itachi later to make sure he gets some rest.</p><p>But later comes a lot sooner than she expects, because after Jiji dismisses the ANBU team, Itachi stays behind. By the time the door clicks shut, Naruto has climbed off of Jiji’s bookshelf and Itachi’s ruffling her hair. “Are you staying with Hokage-sama, today, Naruto-chan?”</p><p>“Only for this morning!” she chirps. Jiji chuckles, chewing on the end of his pipe.</p><p>“You’re welcome to head out, Naruto. Perhaps you can convince Yamane-san to use his day off wisely.”</p><p>She grins as Itachi follows her out of the office with one hand resting on top of her head. “How are you liking the academy?” he eventually asks, voice gentle. He’s leading the way through the village, taking his time, and Naruto doesn’t mind in the least. She doubts his clan is going to be as kind to her as Itachi is, and she doesn’t exactly wanna find out, but she can at least accompany him to the gate. She’s just not in a hurry to meet any of them, since his little brother already seems like he doesn’t like her.</p><p>“Well…, Shikamaru isn’t in my class. I don’t know <em> anybody </em> in my class actually, and they all treat me like I’m stupid, and the teacher doesn’t even call my name during attendance. It’s like I don’t exist!” She aims a kick at a rock on the dusty road but decides that ultimately, it isn’t worth the effort, ‘cause she’d feel really bad if it hit somebody.</p><p>“Have you told the Hokage?”</p><p>Naruto pouts. “He said it would get better.” Her mood ultimately brightens, though, when she remembers what Jiji told her in an attempt to make her feel better (he resorts to telling her secrets when she’s had a particularly bad day). She can’t <em> wait </em> to tell Shikamaru.</p><p>Itachi sighs, pausing when they near a set of gates. Naruto squints up at them, recognizing the clan symbol painted onto the stone arch. “So, this is where you live?” Her nose twitches. “Seems pretty nice, if you ask me.”</p><p>A boy walks out of the gates, hands in his pockets. “Ita--<em> eh </em>? Who’s this?”</p><p>(She notes the fact that Itachi’s scent changes when this boy addresses him; he’s all pleased and nervous and happy and calm.)</p><p>“This is Uzumaki Naruto…, ‘ttebayo,” he teases, ruffling her hair while he lifts his mask and winks at her. It’s back in place before she blinks. “Naruto-chan, this is Uchiha Shisui.”</p><p>Naruto can’t help but bounce on her heels, nervous and unsure. Itachi likes her enough to introduce her to somebody he cares about? “Nice to meet you, dattebayo!” She still catches herself inching closer to Itachi’s side, nerves getting the best of her. She hopes he doesn’t mind.</p><p>But Shisui smiles at her, moving into a crouch so that he’s eye-level with her. “It’s nice to meet you, too. Say, that verbal tic of yours sounds kind of familiar, but I can’t place it…” He squints up at Itachi, still smiling. “She’s a cute kid, ne, Itachi?”</p><p>“Hai.”</p><p>Naruto gives him a firm nod. “Jiji said Itachi-nii’s ‘sposed to use his day off wisely,” she adds, “so no funny business.” With that, she turns to Itachi. “Right?”</p><p>He hums, amused but unbothered. “Naruto-chan, you’re cute when you’re bossy. Is this how Inu-senpai feels when you use your puppy-dog eyes to convince him to go to the hospital?”</p><p>“Yep! Except he doesn’t smell quite as pleased as you do, probably ‘cause of your friend here.” She grins at the utter confusion from both of them.</p><p>“What do you mean by that? Is your nose keen like the Inuzuka Clan?” Shisui asks.</p><p>Naruto jumps on the subject change, just in case Itachi’s mad at her for embarrassing him. “Well, I don’t know about that, but I have a really good nose! Like, I can tell when somebody’s lying, and I can tell when somebody’s tired or sweaty or anxious. And I can tell when somebody’s sad or hurt or happy or calm, too! Like, I always know when Shika-chan’s annoyed with me, but I also know he’s never really mad at me, except that one time I woke him up before ten o’clock. And I know that a lot of people are scared of me and they hate me, but I don’t know <em> why </em> , so all I can do is avoid those ones. Unless I’m at school. Then I have no choice since I really wanna be a good ninja when I grow up. Shikaku-ji even said that if I work hard, I could be at the top of my class.” She can’t seem to stop herself from talking, even though she knows she’s been going on and on. “Except I don’t think Shikaku-ji knows how much the teachers at school don’t like me, ‘cause they ignore all my questions and give me harder tests than the other kids, and lie to me during taijutsu classes.” Actually, she’s kind of really mad about that, because it’s just so <em> unfair </em> , and she doesn’t understand <em> why </em> they’re all like that.</p><p>“Naruto.” Itachi crouches, hands on her shoulders to get her to face him. Now, <em> he </em> smells sad. “Maybe it would be best to tell Shikamaru’s father about the tests your teacher gives you. As for your taijutsu-”</p><p>“We can help you with that,” Shisui interjects. He smells angry, but not angry at Naruto. Is he angry about her teachers? “Itachi and I will spend as much time as it takes to get your taijutsu up to standard, okay?”</p><p>When Naruto was five, the only people that cared about her were Jiji and Dog. She only ever hoped she’d have a friend as wonderful as Shikamaru, couldn’t have imagined she’d end up with some sort of family like Shikamaru’s family. And she never could have foreseen that she’d have even <em> more </em> friends that weren’t a part of the Nara Clan.</p><p>But Itachi and Shisui are offering to help her with taijutsu, and they aren’t lying at all!</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> [interlude one - Shikaku - june; age seven] </em>
</p><p>“So,” Shikaku hums, studying Minato’s little daughter while rage pounds through his veins, “none of the teachers you’ve been sent to will give you the correct work? Every single worksheet or test you’ve been given has been above your level?”</p><p>Naruto nods sharply, head bowed over the shogi table. He doesn’t suppress his sigh. Shikaku firmly believes that it would breed distrust to hide his natural self from his kids, especially when they come to him for help. If he continues to be honest with the children, the children will be honest with him, and it will be much easier to decide the best course of action to help them.</p><p>“And the Hokage?” Sarutobi Hiruzen, the professor. He grows older and more reliant on Shimura Danzo every day. Shikaku wishes he could say he trusts his Hokage explicitly, but after seeing the way Naruto is treated throughout the village, he <em> can’t </em>. He can’t say that.</p><p>“Says they’ll come around. Told me to be patient.” Her eyes snap up to study him when a growl slips from Shikaku’s throat. <em> Damn that Hiruzen. </em></p><p>What is he doing, telling her to be submissive, to let them treat her as if she’s not a human being?</p><p>He hates that there’s nothing he can do to alleviate her struggle, her pain. Hates that he can’t rid her of the ache in her heart.</p><p>“I propose a solution.” He meets the child’s gaze, too many thoughts bouncing around in his head. Sometimes, his mind feels like a curse. But not today. “If the academy instructors insist on giving you work that is above your level, then you must rise above it. Teach yourself the information they test you on so that they can no longer break your spirit.” Naruto blinks at him. Shikaku reaches forward to ruffle her pigtails. “You’re a brilliant child, Naruto. You have a bright mind, a big heart, and a wonderful personality. Everybody in my family loves and adores you. You have our loyalty for life; that is not an easy feat.” She’ll be a great shinobi one day, but for now… “So surpass the expectations of everybody around you. Send Shika-chan to the library. He can collect the materials that will help you with your school work. By all means, Naruto, feel free to ask any of us for help. You are a part of this family, and we protect what’s ours.”</p><p>He doesn’t think he’s ever seen a smile so bright.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. A Mother's Love</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Everybody knows that chores are boring, but that doesn't mean we can just let them pile up, right?</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Sorry, no posting schedule! I'm just tossing out chapters when I feel like it! (And I just got my new desktop, so I wanted to use it :))... Much longer chapter this time! I hope you all like it! &lt;3</p><p>Any mistakes are mine!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em> [august; age seven] </em>
</p><p>Naruto is pretty sure this is hazardous to her health. If you asked Shikamaru--which she hasn’t, because he’s on some kind of training trip with his academy class--, he’d probably say that she’s being reckless on purpose. As if that’s fair. It’s not like she has anybody around to help her clean the cobwebs off of the ceiling, and Shisui-nii-san said she’s not allowed to learn how to walk up the side of buildings until she graduates.</p><p>Even if it is a bit dangerous, she thinks her system is ingenious. Who else can say they’ve balanced atop a pot that’s upside down on a box which is resting on the seat of a chair that she placed on top of her living room table?</p><p>And anyway, she has to do what works! She doesn’t spend that many nights in her apartment anymore, not since Shika-chan took her in, which means dust has settled on nearly every surface, and the spiders have decided to take over! And Naruto <em> refuses </em> to share her apartment with a bunch of spiders.</p><p>Sure, Yoshino-chan promises her that she’s welcome even if Shikamaru happens to be on a class trip, but as much as Naruto loves his parents, things just aren’t the same without him. And if Naruto stays there all the time, she worries she’ll forget how to be independent. It’s not that she thinks for some reason Shikaku-ji will turn her out (okay, so maybe she’s had a few nightmares about exactly that), but if anything bad ever happens to Shikamaru and his family, Naruto’s going to have to learn how to live without them again. And it’ll be so, so hard, because the Nara Clan have become such an important part of her happiness.</p><p>“Stupid spiders,” Naruto huffs, pushing up onto her toes in an attempt to reach a particularly high cobweb. Her makeshift stairs start to quake beneath her feet, leaning this way and that, and without a warning, Naruto loses her balance.</p><p>She crashes to the ground with a yelp, half of her makeshift tower falling after her. The pot bounces twice before it comes to a stop with a loud clang, and the box lands on its side, contents spilling out over the floorboards. A small green envelope lands next to Naruto’s toes.</p><p>“What’s this?” Naruto looks around, ignoring the person in the apartment below hers that’s banging on their ceiling, complaining about the noise. <em> They can get over it. Shodaime forbid they actually come upstairs to see if I’m injured. </em> Now that she thinks about it, Naruto doesn’t remember when the box ever got into her apartment. She knows it’s been here for a while, at least, because there wasn’t any dust underneath when she picked it up to climb on, but she knows she’s not the one who brought it home.</p><p>
  <em> It doesn’t smell like Dog, though, so it can’t be from him. </em>
</p><p>There are other people that can get into her apartment, now. Jiji gave her both sets of keys, because he said he doesn’t need a key to get in, so she gave her second key to Shikamaru (he gave it to his father for safe-keeping, since he’s usually with Naruto when he ends up at her apartment). Dog, Itachi, and Shisui have never needed keys to get in. She’s pretty sure it’s a ninja thing.</p><p>
  <em> But who would have left something here if not one of those three? </em>
</p><p>She <em> kind of </em>recognizes the scent on it, just a little, but not enough to stir her memories, or for any names to come to mind.</p><p>Surely, though, if somebody left it in <em> her </em> apartment…, they expect her to go through it, right? Who <em> wouldn’t </em> look through a box some stranger left in their apartment, right?</p><p>-</p><p>
  <em> My dearest daughter, </em>
</p><p>
  <em> I suppose, if you’re reading this, it means I’m not there to tell you any of this in person. Your name is Uzumaki Naruto, my little maelstrom, named for the lost Clan of Uzushio and the hero of the Toad Sage Jiraiya’s first (and best) novel. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> There were many branches of the Uzumaki Clan when I was a child, but our blood is royal blood. Your grandfather was the Yondaime Uzukage. The wife of the Shodaime Hokage was your great great aunt. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> There are two bloodline limits you have the possibility of inheriting. My mother had the ability to create chains of chakra strong enough to contain a tailed beast--it’s part of the reason I was chosen, and if I’m dead, it’s a great possibility that you’ve inherited the beast from me, too. The other possible bloodline limit you could possess is from my father’s side of the family. His mother had a special healing ability in her blood that could be used to heal others when they bit her. While I don’t like the idea of people biting my daughter, you could test this ability if you ever feel the need to, if it would save somebody precious to you. Do not take these powers lightly, my love. In the wrong hands, this information could be used to harm you. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> I was already on my way to Konoha to contain the Kyuubi no Kitsune when my people were destroyed, so I didn’t learn about the destruction of Uzushio until I reached the village. It was hard for me to fit in here, at first. I couldn’t make friends because I was a foreigner, but I couldn’t leave because I was the new Jinchuriki of Konoha. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> And I was so angry. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> I was angry until the night foreign ninja killed my family and kidnapped me. Your father is the one who rescued me from the abduction, and I fell in love with him almost immediately. He made me feel safe, and told me I was beautiful and strong, and we’ve been together ever since. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> I’m sure you know your father already, but I want to tell you about the rest of your family. Your father was in charge of a genin team containing Hatake Kakashi, Nohara Rin, and Uchiha Obito. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Obito was killed on a mission during the Third Shinobi War. He was always late to training and his missions, but he had a tendency to help anybody who asked for it. His dream was to become Hokage and have a big family of his own. He died a hero, and he would have adored you. He would’ve called you ‘little sister’ and would have beat up anybody that made you cry. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Rin committed suicide less than a year later, after being abducted by foreign ninja and turned into an unstable jinchuriki. She was kind-hearted and smart, and she always did her best to keep her teammates from fighting. She was training to be a healer, and I have the feeling that she would’ve gone very far in life. Obito was very much in love with her. She would’ve loved you so much. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Kakashi is not so easy to describe. He’s very serious and hard-working. And he carries a pain in his heart that isn’t easily scrubbed away. I believe it’s your father’s hope that Kakashi will one day fall in love with you, and that you’ll be able to help him heal. Your father forgets that Kakashi is emotionally crippled and has been for years. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Kakashi is a very talented boy. He graduated from the academy at five years old, and became a chunin at six. He became a jounin at twelve, just before Obito’s death. He blames himself for that, and for Rin’s, too. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> I hope that you’ll help us look after Kakashi, darling. He may be smart, but the boy doesn’t know how to take care of himself. It’s no better now that he’s been placed in ANBU. He’s trying to rid himself of his identity by becoming ‘Dog’, because ‘Dog’ has no need for emotions. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> My sweet daughter, I wish I could have told you all of this in person. I bet you’re a beautiful girl with a big heart and enough passion to change the world. If you look anything like your father, all the boys your age should be swooning over you. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> I love you, Naruto. I understand the burden you must carry as a girl without a mother, and as the jinchuriki of the Kyuubi, but just know that you’re strong enough to face the world and come out on top. I have faith in you, we both do. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Be wary, my daughter. People with power often become twisted by it. Never trust the ones who try to isolate you. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> If you ever feel confused or scared, find Kakashi. I know that he’ll do everything in his power to keep you safe. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Take care, my little maelstrom. The eddies and tides are watching over you, and your mom is, too. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> All my love, </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Mom </em>
</p><p>-</p><p>Naruto puts everything back in the box and goes through the motions of cleaning with tears streaming down her cheeks.</p><p>She had a <em> mom </em> . She had a mom who <em> loved her </em> , who wanted to protect her, who lost her own parents when she was still a kid. Naruto had a <em> family </em>.</p><p>And Dog! Dog has a name, a real name! Dog knew her parents, and lost them, and lost his friends. It’s no <em> wonder </em> he’s always so sad.</p><p>She doesn’t really know <em> how </em> to feel, though. She’s sad, because her mom loved her, but Naruto doesn’t even know what she <em> looked </em> like. She doesn’t know how her voice sounded, or what she smelled like, or what her favorite food was. She doesn’t know what it feels like to be held by her, or if she liked flowers.</p><p>Naruto knows that she’s one of the last living members of her clan, but she doesn’t know all of the little things that make up the person her mom was.</p><p>Everything is spotless by the time the sun sets. Her mind feels clearer, but her heart is heavy with the loss of something she never knew she had, and even though she wants Shikamaru to have a good time and enjoy his trip, she wishes he was home so that she could climb into his bed and at least she wouldn’t have to be alone.</p><p>Dog’s out of the village, too. He’s been gone for two weeks, and as much as she wants to trust that he’ll come home safe, she’s always scared that he just… won’t come back. If that happens, will anybody even think to tell her? Will anybody even care?</p><p>It’s late when she hears the lock on her window click and a dark figure slips into her apartment. Why none of her friends use the balcony, she’ll never understand.</p><p>The smell of blood and antiseptic hits her nose almost instantly, along with the more subtle scent that’s all Itachi.</p><p>“Itachi-nii?”</p><p>“Naruto-chan,” he replies softly. Hoping that he has at least visited the hospital, Naruto slips off of the couch, squinting up at him. He’s not wearing a shirt, probably because the majority of his torso is covered in thick bandages, but he must still be bleeding pretty badly because the metallic scent of it is fresh. She reaches for his hand and pulls him toward the sofa with a frown.</p><p>“Shouldn’t you be resting, nii-san?”</p><p>His expression is pained, but he attempts to smile at her anyway. “My family thinks I’m perfect. If I go home like this, I don’t know how they’ll look at me.”</p><p>“That’s just silly, Itachi. Nobody’s perfect!” Her nose is still stuffy from all of her tears, and it’s annoying that he can tell something’s wrong almost immediately. She keeps talking in the hopes that he won’t bring it up. “I cleaned today! I had to climb to get the cobwebs off the ceiling, and I don’t recommend standing on a pot that’s on a box that’s on a chair that’s on a table, but at least I didn’t miss anything!”</p><p>“Did you get hurt?” He sits up, like he’s actually going to get back up just to make sure she’s not injured, but Naruto points a finger at the couch, scrunching her nose at him. </p><p>“You stay right there! I’m not the one who got hurt.”</p><p>Summer’s just about over, which means her second term of school is about to start, but the days are still warm, and Naruto’s glad she’s got a fan in her bedroom. She drags it into the main room, along with a light blanket since she doesn’t want Itachi to get a chill. He watches her with a funny expression on his face, like he’s not sure what she’s doing. Doesn’t anybody ever take care of Itachi? Or does he just take care of everybody else all the time?</p><p>She’s gonna have a serious talk with Shisui-nii-san after tonight.</p><p>Naruto sets the fan on a chair near the balcony and props the door open before she drapes the blanket over Itachi’s lap.</p><p>
  <em> I wonder if he’s hungry. </em>
</p><p>“Nii-san~, are you hungry?” Do injured people eat a lot, or do they avoid food in case they just get sick? Maybe she should just make him some tea? But if he spills hot tea on his bandages, he’s going to have to change them. And Naruto’s sure she can learn fast enough to help, but then it’s probably going to hurt him, and she doesn’t want him to hurt anymore than he already is. “Hmm. Maybe you should just stick to water for tonight.”</p><p>“Naruto?”</p><p>She can’t read the expression on his face when she sets a glass of cold water on the little stand beside the sofa, so she just smiles at him. “I thought about making you something to eat, but then I wasn’t sure if you’d even feel up to it.”</p><p>“Why are you…?”</p><p>Naruto tugs his legs onto the couch while waiting for him to figure out what he’s trying to say. This way, he can stretch out, but he doesn’t have to fully lie down like he would in a bed. “Comfy?”</p><p>Itachi’s hand tugs on one of her pigtails. “I am, thank you. Why are you doing all of this?”</p><p>Tucking the blanket around his legs, Naruto tries to come up with a nice way to tell him his parents suck. She doesn’t think there is one.</p><p>“Doesn’t anybody take care of you when you’re hurt?”</p><p>By the look on his face, Naruto doesn't think anybody does. “Thank you, imouto.”</p><p>
  <em> Little sister. </em>
</p><p>Without much prompt, her mother’s letter plays through her head again, and she fights the urge to start crying again. “Ne, Itachi-nii. You should get some sleep, don’t you think? Want me to stay in here with you?”</p><p>Itachi watches her for a moment, and then two, and then he slowly nods. “Yeah. I think I would like you to stay.”</p><p>She crawls over his legs, careful not to shake the sofa, and curls up against the back of the couch, using his leg as a pillow. She hadn’t realized it before, but she’s actually really tired. “I bet my mom would’ve liked you.”</p><p>“Your mom?”</p><p>But Naruto doesn’t hear him, because she’s already fast asleep.</p><p>-</p><p>When Naruto wakes up, the bandages across Itachi’s torso are completely soaked through with blood. She reaches out, touching his shoulder to wake him, but his skin is unbearably warm, like maybe the wounds are infected. Naruto doesn’t know much about infected wounds, and even less about how to clean them. She’s never had to clean her own because they always seem to just <em> heal </em>.</p><p>
  <em> “His mother had a special healing ability in her blood that could be used to heal others when they bit her.” </em>
</p><p>Her mother’s words drift through her head without prompt, like an answer to a prayer she hadn’t prayed<em> . </em> Maybe it’ll work! Naruto won’t know unless she tries, right? Her feet touch the floor and she hurries toward the other end of the couch, praying that Itachi doesn’t wake up. If he realizes what she’s doing, he’ll just worry and he might not believe her if she tells him the truth. She doesn’t even know if it’s going to <em> work </em>.</p><p>She pries his jaw open, pressing her arm against his teeth (all the while watching his eyes to make sure he’s still unconscious), and then she slams his lower jaw closed. Pain rips through her arm along with his teeth, setting a fire in her veins. Somehow, she knows this wound isn’t going to close immediately like all the other times.</p><p>It’s okay, though, because Itachi’s skin isn’t as hot under her hand, and the scent of fresh blood is lessening significantly. Now, she just needs to help him change the bandages. And maybe he’ll help her wrap up her new injury.</p><p>Without warning, his eyes fly open and make her jump. When awareness settles in his eyes, his hand wraps around her wrist and pulls her arm from his mouth, confusion warring with something else on his face. “Naruto, what are you-”</p><p>“I think your wounds got infected last night.” She interrupts quickly. “I was hoping I had my grandmother’s bloodline limit, and it turns out that I do! Plus, I knew I could never get you to bite me if I asked. I’m sorry that I didn’t, but I was really worried about you, Itachi!” Naruto pokes at his bandages. “Look!”</p><p>Itachi stares at her for a moment, pushing himself up, and then he pulls her into his arms. The scent of sadness is suddenly thick in the room. “Don’t hurt yourself for me, Naruto.”</p><p>Her arm throbs, and his wounds are probably still super painful, but Naruto thinks he probably needs the comfort. Besides, she loves hugs. In her opinion, people don’t hug each other often enough.</p><p>“The letter said it’s okay as long as it’s for somebody precious to me.”</p><p>Itachi stands without setting her down, padding through the apartment into her little bathroom. She watches him gather the bandages and antiseptic that he and Shisui had stocked in the cupboard under the sink. Something in her chest hurts and she’s afraid that it’s her heart. Has it really been so long since the last time she felt this sad? Has she really forgotten what it feels like?</p><p>“Are you upset with me, nii-san?”</p><p>Itachi doesn’t answer at first. He tends to her injured arm, washing away the blood and saliva before drying it and dabbing on some sort of orange liquid that makes it sting but also makes it feel better. By the time she’s all bandaged up, Itachi has tears in his eyes.</p><p>“Please don’t heal me again,” he says, dropping his chin so that she can’t see his eyes. “I don’t ever want to be the reason for your pain.”</p><p>Naruto leans forward on her perch atop the sink, getting as close to his face as she can. “I’ll heal you if I have to, Itachi, ‘cause I don’t wanna lose you like I lost my mom.” She can’t imagine her life without him, now. “I’d do the same for Shika-chan, and Shisui-nii-san, and Inu-san. And Sasuke too, even though he doesn’t like me.” What kind of person would she turn into, if she had the ability to save her loved ones yet chose not to?</p><p>She tells him about the box and the letter she found while she helps clean his injuries. Itachi stays silent through it all, but he’s always been a good listener. He lets her talk and watches while she works, but she can tell when his emotions finally calm down, because some of the tension leaves him. If only he hadn’t awakened while she was in the middle of healing him.</p><p>“I’m sorry,” Itachi murmurs when they’re back on the couch and she’s tucked up against his side. The fingers of his right hand comb through her hair. “You know, your parents would be very proud of you.” Naruto wonders if anybody’s out looking for him, but ultimately decides that if they don’t know him well enough to find him, they don’t deserve to see him. “I didn’t know them very well, but I wish I could tell you about them.”</p><p>“It’s some kind of secret, isn’t it? I overheard Shikaku-ji talking to his friend one time, and they said something about it being illegal.”</p><p>He nods, but says nothing else. Naruto doesn’t mind the quiet.</p><p>But deep in her heart, she makes herself a promise that she’s gonna find out the truth, no matter how long it takes.</p><p>-</p><p>“How was your trip, Shika-chan?” Yoshino-chan asks at dinner a few days later. Naruto nods, turning to her friend in the hopes that he’ll suddenly find his voice again--he’s been super quiet ever since he got back this morning, but he’d also stuck close to Naruto’s side.</p><p>“It was a drag,” he answers tonelessly. It’s not much, but at least it’s a full sentence.</p><p>Shikaku-ji, understanding that Shikamaru must not want to talk about it, turns his attention to Naruto. “And Naruto-chan? What did you get up to the last few days?”</p><p>Family dinners are probably one of Naruto’s favorite things. Yoshino-chan and Shikaku-ji always ask questions about their day, and encourage them to share what they’ve learned, and then they share bits and pieces of their own days. Sometimes, after dinner, they’ll herd the deer, or Shikaku-ji will ask Naruto to play a game of shogi, or Yoshino-chan will read to them. Sometimes, she and Shikamaru just go out to the yard and lay in the grass to study the clouds.</p><p>She beams at Shikamaru’s dad because he always makes a point to include her. “Well, I cleaned my whole apartment! And I learned how to change bandages, ‘cause Itachi-nii-san came over and he was really hurt. I don’t think anybody ever takes care of him when he’s hurt, because he was really confused. Oh! And I went through a box some stranger left in my apartment, and I found a letter in there from my mom! There weren’t any pictures in the box, so I don’t know what she looked like, but her letter was really nice. She sounded just like Yoshino-chan when she’s doting on Shikamaru.”</p><p>Yoshino-chan reaches across the table, poking Naruto on the end of her nose. She’s smiling, but her eyes are sad. “What did the letter say, Naruto-chan?”</p><p>The mood around the table has shifted, but Naruto doesn’t think anybody’s mad at her, so she sets her chopsticks down. “She told me a little bit about our clan, and how her home was destroyed. She said I had two possible kekkei genkai. I know I have one of them for sure, though, because I tested it out on Itachi when his wounds got infected. Um… she also told me about my dad’s genin team, and how two of them died, but she didn’t tell me anything about my dad. I think she wrote it assuming my dad would still be alive if anything happened to her.” She glances up at them, unsure. “He’s dead, isn’t he? I know you’re not allowed to tell me anything, but… He didn’t just leave me, did he?”</p><p>Shikamaru’s hand finds hers underneath the table.</p><p>“He’s dead,” Shikaku-ji answers softly. His eyes are pained, but what’s worse is that underneath, she can see he wants to tell her so much more. He wants to, but he’s not allowed. It’s all kinds of messed up. “All I can tell you is that he was a hero.”</p><p>Naruto nods, mustering up a smile. “Thank you.”</p><p>-</p><p>Well after dark, when Naruto and Shikamaru are bundled under the blanket on his bed, his hands wrap around hers as tightly as they can. The rest of the house has been quiet for nearly an hour when he finally speaks.</p><p>“One of the teachers on the trip called you a monster.”</p><p>It’s not news to Naruto. Lots of people call her a monster, or a demon, or sometimes they use both words in a single sentence. It used to bother her a lot more, because a part of her always thought it was true. Why else would she live all alone in the highest room in her apartment building with nobody around to take care of her? Why else would nobody want to see her except the strongest person in the village?</p><p>But Shikamaru doesn’t treat her like a monster. Neither do his parents, or the other members of his clan, or Dog, or Itachi and Shisui.</p><p>“They said that you shouldn’t even be in the academy because they shouldn’t be teaching a monster how to kill. How could they say that? You’re not a monster, so how can they act like you don’t deserve to be treated like a human? How are you any different than me, or Ino, or Choji?” She can see the way his eyes are filling with tears, but his voice doesn’t break. It takes her a moment to place it, but she thinks his eyes are bright with anger. “You’re pretty, and smart, and you make me feel safe even when I have nightmares that the shadows are gonna take me away. I don’t <em> understand </em>.”</p><p>Naruto bites her lip until it bleeds. Is Shikamaru really crying because of the way the people treat her?</p><p>Could he… could he really care about her that much?</p><p>“Shika-chan, you know I love you, right?” She sniffles. “I think I know why people say that about me. In my mom’s letter, she said something about being a jinchuriki. And she said that if she’s dead, I’m probably the person who became the jinchuriki after her.”</p><p>He shuffles closer, knocking their foreheads together in the process. “Well, I don’t know what a jinchuriki is, but I can probably find out.”</p><p>
  <em> I sure hope so. It would be kind of nice to know why everybody hates me. </em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Kakashi Makes A Threat</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A heartbroken Naruto ditches class, only to run headfirst into her favorite ANBU.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>'Nother chapter! A little heavy, but not the worst to come.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>[september; age seven]</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>On the first day of her second school term, Naruto is humiliated and heartbroken by her teacher. Not knowing what to do, wanting to get away from the laughter and the malice and the </span>
  <em>
    <span>ache</span>
  </em>
  <span>, she throws herself out the window and onto the schoolyard. Even then, she can still hear their jibing comments and their hatred, can still feel their eyes like daggers in her back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A part of her hopes she’ll be expelled so she won’t ever have to feel this way again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Three blocks away from the academy, Naruto hits a wall of warm body and immediately shuffles backwards, a sob building in her throat. Will it never end? Is she going to be faced with even more hatred for running into somebody? Will there be more barbed words, the air around her constantly dripping with malice?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Naruto?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She chokes on her tears, throwing herself forward. She </span>
  <em>
    <span>knows</span>
  </em>
  <span> that voice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aren’t you supposed to be in school?” Dog asks. He’s not in his ANBU uniform for once, though, so she guesses he’s just ‘Kakashi’, but-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Well, he’s never introduced himself as Kakashi to her before, and she’s always just known him as </span>
  <em>
    <span>Dog</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She cries, burrowing into his arms and hoping that just this once, she can pretend she’s not an orphan in a village filled with people who want her dead. “H-he called me an </span>
  <em>
    <span>orphan</span>
  </em>
  <span> and he said nobody would ever wanna love me, ‘cause how could a demon be </span>
  <em>
    <span>worthy</span>
  </em>
  <span>? And he said I’m probably too stupid to graduate ‘cause I didn’t have anybody around to teach me anything, and I should- that I should just </span>
  <em>
    <span>die</span>
  </em>
  <span> so that nobody would have to deal with me!” The words spill from her mouth and leave her gasping for air, choking on the sobs that are working their way up her throat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi carries her while he walks, running his hand up and down her back in an effort to calm her. “Who said those things to you?” His voice shakes, rumbling in his chest. Anger comes off of him in waves, but so does comfort and care, and Naruto knows she’s safe with him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My teacher.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He tucks her head against his neck, humming softly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It doesn’t take long until they’re back at the academy. Naruto whimpers, scared and ashamed. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Why are we back here?</span>
  </em>
  <span> But Kakashi hushes her. “Everything’s gonna be okay. Do you trust me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Well, even if her mom’s letter hadn’t insisted that Naruto could place her trust in Kakashi, Naruto always has. He’s kept watch over her from a distance for as long as she can remember. “Hai.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And then Kakashi walks into the Headmaster’s office. He doesn’t even </span>
  <em>
    <span>knock</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hatake-san?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Headmaster,” he growls. The air in the room grows dense. “One of your teachers told a seven year old girl that she should die today.” When she peeks her head out, he has a kunai in his hand, pointed directly into the Headmaster’s face.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Is he allowed to do that?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“I suggest you find a competent teacher for Naruto, and until you do, she will not be back. I will be taking this directly to the Hokage and if he does nothing, I will return and I will rip out your teeth one by one. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Have I made myself clear</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can’t--”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you want to take that gamble?” Kakashi’s voice is hard and low, but Naruto isn’t afraid. For once, the sharp words being spoken aren’t aimed at her. He’s not trying to hurt her. “I could kill you right now and I wouldn’t leave any evidence behind. This child is </span>
  <em>
    <span>seven years old</span>
  </em>
  <span>, she has never harmed a single person in this village, and if she is not treated with respect by you and your teachers, I will personally see to it that you suffer the most </span>
  <em>
    <span>painful</span>
  </em>
  <span> of deaths.” Kakashi lowers his weapon.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She can smell the fear rolling off of the Headmaster. It permeates the entire office (Naruto’s pretty sure she even smells a bit of urine, which is just… </span>
  <em>
    <span>disgusting</span>
  </em>
  <span>). Is this dude that much of a coward, or is Kakashi actually super scary?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Umino Iruka,” the man says. “Down the hall, the door on the far right. First thing in the morning.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi’s dark aura evaporates, as if it was never there at all. “There, was that so hard, Headmaster?” He sets Naruto on her feet, giving her a smile. She can’t see half of his face for a cloth mask, and one of his eyes is covered by his shinobi headband, but his uncovered eye is kind. “Do you mind waiting for me outside?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Naruto nods, but before she leaves, she leans up on her toes and kisses the tip of his nose. “Thank you, Kakashi.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She can still hear them even after the door closes behind her, and that’s how she learns another of Jiji’s secrets. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“That child is no more the demon fox than I am Lord Fourth. If you cannot treat her like the child she is, I don’t think you should be running this school.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Demon fox?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>She plops herself onto the swing at the edge of the school yard just in time for one of the classes to spill out of the doors. Groups of kids play games or practice their throwing with wooden shuriken, but one student shuffles across the yard, stopping directly in front of her. Shikamaru has a dark look on his face. “I saw you leave earlier. What happened?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Naruto looks at her feet, but he doesn’t let her ignore him for long, because he pulls her off of the swing and into a hug.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t make me ask again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Something bad happened in class, Shika-chan. But I ran into Inu-san, and he’s having a talk with the Headmaster right now.” With that, she steps back, giving him as big a smile as she can muster up. “I’m getting a new teacher tomorrow.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shikamaru frowns at her, poking her in the belly. “Well, even if Inu-san’s having a talk with the Headmaster, you better tell my dad about it at dinner. And I mean the </span>
  <em>
    <span>whole</span>
  </em>
  <span> story. Maybe if more people complain to the Headmaster, he’ll realize how awful your teacher is.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Naruto-chan~!” Kakashi sings, stopping a few feet away. “Are you ready to go?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She nods, but she throws her arms around Shikamaru again before she leaves. “I’ll see you after school, Shika-chan!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait, is that-?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She beams, hurrying toward Dog with a lighter heart. She thinks that as long as she has Shikamaru and Kakashi, she can face anything. Although, having Shikaku-ji and Yoshino-chan, having Itachi-nii and Shisui-nii, is a really big help.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This must be what it’s like to have a family.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I think I’d do anything to make them smile.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The next morning, Shikamaru switches seats with another kid so that he can sit next to Naruto. They’re almost fifteen minutes early, which is unusual because Naruto usually has a pretty hard time getting Shikamaru out of bed in the mornings, but when he’d realized she would be in his class starting today, he’d gotten ready super fast and barely slowed down to eat breakfast.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As the rest of the classroom fills up, Naruto’s stomach begins to do backflips. Is it going to be like her last class? Is this Iruka-sensei going to be like the last teacher? Or will he just ignore her, pretend she’s not even in the classroom, go about his day as if he hasn’t gained a new student?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It turns out that Iruka-sensei is five minutes late. Judging by the looks on everybody else’s faces, Iruka-sensei is </span>
  <em>
    <span>never</span>
  </em>
  <span> late, so Naruto doesn’t think it’s that much of a stretch to assume he’s late because of her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Is the Headmaster telling him about her? Is he trying to get rid of her before even meeting her?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her seat is right beside the wall, and with Shikamaru to her right, Naruto feels mostly safe, but Naruto is pretty sure she’s never </span>
  <em>
    <span>completely</span>
  </em>
  <span> safe. Maybe when she’s at Shikamaru’s house, or when she’s with Kakashi, but she’s never with either of them </span>
  <em>
    <span>all the time</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright, everybody. I’m sorry I’m late, but I’m here now so let’s take attendance.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And he doesn’t call Naruto’s name, even though he looks her right in the eyes. But the moment he puts his clipboard down, Shikamaru’s hands slam down on the desk and he stands up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You skipped a name.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shikamaru-” she tries, because making a scene probably won’t help, but he shakes his head, anger coming off of him in waves.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You just came from the Headmaster’s office, didn’t you? Did he not tell you what Naruto’s last teacher did to her? So, what? You’re just going to pretend she doesn’t exist? She’s the smartest girl I’ve ever met, but nobody would know that because </span>
  <em>
    <span>people like you</span>
  </em>
  <span> act like she doesn’t deserve to be treated with respect.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Their sensei’s face is grim, his cheeks flushed, and his mouth hangs open like he’s searching for something to say, but Shikamaru just turns to her. “We can leave if you want to,” he offers flatly. “Going to school’s troublesome, anyway-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shika-chan, stop it! It’s okay-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not okay! None of it’s okay! They’re adults, they should know better than to tell a seven-year-old she should die!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Naruto shakes her head, shoving him back into his seat and putting on her best ‘I’m smarter than you so shut your mouth’ face. “Your dad’s gonna be really mad if you cut class, Shika-chan! Sensei didn’t do anything, so just calm down!” With that, she sinks low into her seat, hoping the other students will stop staring sooner rather than later.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka-sensei clears his throat. “I’m sorry that I didn’t call your name, Naruto. You’re the only new face in my class, so I didn’t feel it was necessary.” He directs a glare at Shikamaru, but Naruto can smell the lie on him even from her seat, and it just makes her feel worse.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He ignored her on purpose.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But when he passes out worksheets, Naruto’s is the same as everybody else’s. She flies through the questions with ease since the content isn’t nearly as hard as the stuff her last teacher was making her do. And she can’t be accused of cheating, because she’s the first one finished and Shikamaru doesn’t even bother doing his own worksheet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Naruto’s done within ten minutes, before Iruka-sensei even tells everybody to bring their worksheets up when they’re finished. She pauses in front of his desk until he looks up at her. His eyes aren’t hard like she expects them to be, they’re just pained.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry Shikamaru yelled at you,” she says, because as much as she loves Shikamaru for it, he was out of line. “He’s kind of like a mother-hen.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He takes her worksheet, looking it over, and gives her a small smile when he’s finished. “You really are smart, huh? How long have you known Shikamaru?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We met on my sixth birthday. He saved me from a couple of chunin and he’s been my best friend ever since. He made me go home with him when he realized I live by myself, and his mom and dad look after me as often as they can. We have lots of sleepovers.” Naruto refrains from smacking herself on the forehead for rambling at her teacher. “Um… thank you for letting me stay in your class.” Of course, if he hadn’t, Dog might’ve actually killed the Headmaster, and that would’ve been really bad, but she probably shouldn’t say that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iruka-sensei studies her for a moment, and then he nods. “Do you mind staying inside during recess? I want to give you an assessment so I know how advanced you are. It would be a shame to waste your intelligence by giving you work that’s too easy, but I don’t want to give you work that you can’t figure out, either.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hai, Sensei.” She folds her hands in front of her and gives him a small bow, because </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> time, he was totally telling the truth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe he hadn’t lied to cover up that he ignored her because he just doesn’t like her--after all, he’s going out of his way to help with her schoolwork. Maybe there’s a different reason, something he doesn't want to talk about. Naruto knows what it’s like to carry burdens you don’t want to share.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe everything is actually going to be okay.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Goodbye</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Disaster strikes, turning Naruto's world on its head and leaving her with an aching heart--and an injury.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>angst, blood and injury, heartbreak</p><p>Shorter chapter this time, sorry! But it's a painful one.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em> [november; age eight] </em>
</p><p>The smell of blood permeates the air. Her heart’s in her throat, her hands won’t stop shaking, and her ears keep ringing and <em> ringing </em>-</p><p>There are tears mixing with the rain on Naruto’s cheeks, and the rain mixes with the blood pouring out of her wounds, but Naruto doesn’t <em>care</em>, because <em>Shisui-nii-san</em> <em>is hurt</em>! That man ripped his eye right out of his skull, grinning the whole time.</p><p>After that, everything happened in slow motion. Naruto watched Shisui-nii-san stumble, and Itachi-nii-san tackled the man who attacked Shisui-nii-san, and <em> somebody else </em> ( <em> Where did they come from? </em>) lunged after Shisui-nii-san with a kunai.</p><p>Naruto hadn’t thought about it, she’d just… <em> moved </em>. And now she can’t breathe, and her whole body feels like pins and needles, and she thinks somebody might be screaming, but at least Shisui-nii-san didn’t get killed.</p><p>“Naruto, <em> Naruto </em>, you have to stay with me, okay? Can you look at me?”</p><p>Beneath her, warmth soaks into the wet ground, though it takes her a moment to realize that it’s her own blood. She coughs when she tries to speak. The rain keeps pouring, her torso feels like it’s shredded, and Shisui-nii-san is staring down at her with blood pouring out of his eye socket, and more blood dribbling from the corner of his mouth. Had he gotten hurt after she jumped in front of him?</p><p>“Shisui-nii,” she chokes. His name catches a few times on the way out, but she still tries to convince him to use her healing chakra, even though the words are mangled and incomplete.</p><p>Itachi joins them shortly. When he sees all the blood, he tears his sleeve and presses the cloth to the wound on Naruto’s abdomen. Funny, she’d been so worried about Shisui, she’d forgotten about it for a moment, but the added pressure sends pain shooting up her spine like lightning. She can’t stop herself from letting out a soft cry.</p><p>“Sorry, I’m sorry. I have to try to stop the bleeding,” Itachi murmurs softly. “Shisui,” he eventually continues. His voice is rough and thick. “Naruto was trying to tell you to bite her.”</p><p>
  <em> “Why would I do that?!” </em>
</p><p>Shisui-nii-san’s voice is rough, though, and Naruto’s worried that his wounds are worse than he wants them to know.</p><p>“I don’t like it, but I agree with her.” Itachi doesn’t look away from her, though. His eyes are filled with tears. “Just do it.”</p><p>“No! Itachi, wh-” He breaks off, coughing. Blood drips down his chin. Itachi reaches one hand around the back of Shisui’s neck and pulls him forward until Naruto can shove her arm between his teeth. To his mounting horror, his jaw closes on its own. He heals quickly, the wounds she <em> can </em> see closing up before her eyes. By the time Itachi lets him pull back, Shisui <em> almost </em> looks as good as new.</p><p>(It goes to show how badly injured Itachi was the morning she tested her kekkei genkai on him. Maybe, if he hadn’t pulled away so soon, he’d have been all healed up.)</p><p>Naruto rests her eyes for a moment, but when she opens them again, they’re not on the cliff where they’d been training her. Everything still hurts, but she’s no longer soaking wet. After another moment, Naruto realizes she’s being carried, that the steady rocking sensation is because Itachi’s holding her while he walks.</p><p>“Where’s Shisui-nii-san?” Her voice comes out all raspy and hoarse. Itachi’s arms tighten their hold on her, feet faltering.</p><p>“He went away.”</p><p>
  <em> Went… away? </em>
</p><p>“Where’d he go?” When he doesn’t answer right away, Naruto focuses on her nose and his <em> terrorpainangersadness </em>invades her senses, forcing her to bury her head against his chest and try to block out all the scents that aren’t her adoptive brother’s comforting pheromones. Her eyes overflow with tears that soak into his shirt. “You’re gonna go with him, nii-san?”</p><p>Itachi doesn’t answer right away. Naruto doesn’t know what time it is, or where they’re going, and she doesn’t want to lift her head to look around.</p><p>“Shisui left the village,” he finally explains, barely a whisper. “And I…”</p><p>She hates it. She <em> hates </em> it, but-</p><p>“You should stay with Shisui. You love each other, and he’s a big dummy that’ll get into trouble on his own, and he… And you…” Naruto sniffles. “I’m gonna miss you.”</p><p>Itachi hugs her closer, breath shaky. “One day, when you’re bigger,” he murmurs, “we’re gonna come back for you. We’ll take you traveling, and we’ll teach you all about your parents, and nobody will be able to stop us, or hurt us. How does that sound?”</p><p>
  <em> I’m so tired. </em>
</p><p>“Itachi-kun?”</p><p>
  <em> Shikaku-ji? Itachi brought me home? </em>
</p><p>“We were attacked,” Itachi says quickly, quietly. “Naruto was wounded. She seems to be healing faster than the average person, but she needs to take it easy for a few days. She should probably stay in bed.” His voice shakes. “One of Shisui’s eyes was stolen, Shikaku-san. The Foundation is still active. We’re leaving tonight.”</p><p>“How was she wounded?” Shikaku asks, and Naruto curls into his chest when he reaches for her. She hadn’t realized just how cold she’s been. Does that mean Itachi’s cold, too? Will he stop and change into warmer clothes before he flees the village?</p><p>
  <em> Are they gonna be okay? </em>
</p><p>“She jumped in front of Shisui when one of them tried to kill him.” She watches him step away, tries to memorize his face and the bitter sadness reflecting her own. “Please keep watching over her,” he says, bowing. And when he straightens his spine, he looks Naruto in the eyes, a sad smile gracing his features. “Until we meet again, imouto.”</p><p>Silently, she promises that she’ll look after his brother while he’s away.</p><p>Shikaku carries her inside, radiating warmth and comfort and safety. He doesn’t complain when her fingers clench in his shirt, or when she starts shivering, or when her emotions get the best of her and she starts sobbing again. He offers caring words on his way toward Shikamaru’s bedroom, only pausing briefly to tell Yoshino that Naruto will not be attending class for a few days.</p><p>Naruto hears Shikamaru’s feet hit the floor after his father slides the door open, hears his <em> what happened, tou-san? </em> , but after that everything starts to get pretty fuzzy. Her final thought before she falls unconscious is <em> I hope I don’t get blood on Shika-chan’s sheets. </em></p><p>-</p><p>Naruto spends the majority of the next two days sleeping. Each time she wakes, Shikamaru or one of his parents is nearby. Shikaku-ji, when he’s with her, is usually sitting at the foot of the bed with a book or some kind of paperwork (he talks, too, even though she doesn’t have much to say in return, and it helps). Yoshino-chan plays with Naruto’s hair or straightens Shikamaru’s room, always keeping her hands busy. Shikamaru sits beside her, his back pressed against the wall, and just watches her while she sleeps. When she’s awake, he tells her about school, and he always brings home her schoolwork.</p><p>Her biggest problem isn’t that she’s injured, which might seem a little backward to some people. The problem is that her heart hurts, and she doesn't think there’s any cure for heartbreak. (At least, that’s what Kakashi told her when he stopped by to visit with her.)</p><p>She goes back to school on the third day, even though Yoshino-chan tries to talk her into staying home a bit longer. Laying in bed isn’t helping. Her wound only hurts a little bit, now, and Shikaku-ji said that some wounds hurt even after they’ve healed. He said that as long as she takes it easy, going to school might be good for her.</p><p>“Sasuke asked about you.” To her relief, Shikamaru hasn’t complained about her grip on his hand so far. She doesn’t know if she can let go. “Said something about his brother disappearing.”</p><p>His father hadn’t said anything to Yoshino-chan or Shikamaru about what happened, which has been driving Shikamaru crazy because he’s super protective and he hates that she got hurt.</p><p>“Itachi-nii-san and Shisui-nii-san left the village.”</p><p>A moment passes. Shikamaru gives her hand a squeeze and lets out a sigh. “Were they injured, too?”</p><p>“Shisui-nii-san was hurt, but I healed him.”</p><p>He falls quiet, confused, and doesn’t ask anymore questions for the rest of their trek to school, but he stops a few feet away from the doors because Sasuke is standing there with his arms crossed, waiting for them. Naruto tugs her friend along, reminds herself of her promise to look after Sasuke, even if he doesn't like her.</p><p>Except-</p><p>Except, Sasuke bows when they reach him, his hands folded together. “I’m sorry!” When he stands, his cheeks are red and he’s embarrassed, but he doesn’t take it back. He looks her straight in the eyes, too. “My brother and his friend… I don’t know why they left, but you were with them that night… And it must’ve been bad.”</p><p>She promised herself she’d stop crying about it, but a few tears fall anyway. “I’m sorry, Sasuke-kun. It’s not safe to tell you, but I-”</p><p>“Itachi loves you a lot because you don’t treat him like he’s perfect,” Sasuke interrupts. “Because onii-san isn’t perfect, is he?”</p><p>Naruto shakes her head. “When he gets hurt…” Except, he’s not around now. She takes a deep breath and starts again. “When he got hurt, he’d come to my apartment instead of going home. He was so surprised when I took care of him because nobody else used to.”</p><p>Sasuke ducks his head. “Would you mind… having another brother? You know Itachi better than I do, but he’s still… I want to protect the people important to him, if I can.”</p><p>Shikamaru sighs, but he doesn’t let go of Naruto’s hand. “You’re both troublesome. We’re gonna be late to class.” He glances at Sasuke. “For your information, Naruto already considers you family. She cares about you because Itachi cares about you.” And then he pokes Naruto’s cheek. “Are you still in pain or are you just sad?”</p><p>Naruto scrunches her nose, wiping at her tears and leaning into his side. “Both. Come on, I don’t want Iruka-sensei to get mad at us.”</p><p>Things aren’t better, not by a long shot, and she has a long way to go before the grief stops eating at her. But as long as her friends are by her side, Naruto’s sure she can take it. She just has to have faith. Faith that her big brothers will watch each others’ backs; faith that Shikamaru will stay by her side; faith that Sasuke will come to like her for her and not just because Itachi does; faith that Kakashi will take care of himself until she’s old enough to take care of his heart for him like her father hoped she would.</p><p>
  <em> I have so much to do. </em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Squad Seven Is A Go</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>It's the day of team assignments, and things... mostly go as expected.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Maybe a little angst, but nothing too heavy. :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>[march; age twelve]</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Today’s the big day.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Naruto plops into her seat between Sasuke and Shikamaru, grinning to herself. She hadn’t had time to tell either of them last night, but after she’d failed the academy exam (for the third time in a row, seriously?), Jiji had brought her into his office and given her his own test. She’d been able to tell how impressed he was because the scent of it was thick in the room, and he’d told her that perhaps she can’t make clones because she has too much chakra.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He’d passed her, and given her a hitai-ate of her own, and promised that he would let Iruka-sensei know.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Naruto?” Sasuke sits up straighter, his eyebrows halfway up his forehead. “Wait, how did you get them to pass you?” Shikamaru is sound asleep on her other side, as is typical.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She hums. “Hokage-sama thought it was strange that I got almost perfect grades, and that I trained with two ANBU in taijutsu for months, and that I was still failing in the exam. So he tested me himself and thinks I just have too much chakra to do the </span>
  <em>
    <span>bunshin</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What are </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> doing here?” One of their classmates pauses in front of Naruto, an ugly look on her face. “Everybody knows you failed the graduation exam.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sasuke growls something under his breath. Naruto just smiles at the girl. “You know, Sakura-chan, being mean to me isn’t going to make Sasuke-chan like you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The girl’s cheeks turn as red as her outfit and she turns with a huff, plopping into her seat in the next row. Ever since Sasuke did a one-eighty and recognized Naruto as important to him, the girls who used to ignore Naruto have been bullies. Sasuke, of course, hates it. Naruto thinks she understands. Here’s this boy that all those girls have crushes on, this boy who has always ignored them, but all of a sudden, he </span>
  <em>
    <span>talks</span>
  </em>
  <span> to a girl. And she’s not one of </span>
  <em>
    <span>them</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They’re jealous.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nobody’s ever been jealous of Naruto before.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The craziest part, though, is that Sasuke isn’t even as cool as they think he is! He’s a nerd! And not like Shikamaru’s family of nerds, more like he’s obsessed with tomatoes and always wants to study taijutsu techniques, and he literally doesn’t even know how to hold a conversation. His form of motivation is competition.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>(He’d been </span>
  <em>
    <span>so</span>
  </em>
  <span> grumpy when Naruto beat him in a spar that she’d offered to keep working with him until he could knock her on her ass.)</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But after the first few weeks of Sasuke sort of being her friend, Sasuke </span>
  <em>
    <span>actually </span>
  </em>
  <span>became her friend. He hadn’t been aware of a lot of things, either because Itachi was giving Naruto her privacy, or because Sasuke had ignored anything his brother said about her. When he learned that she’s had an apartment by herself since she was four, he’d been absolutely </span>
  <em>
    <span>livid</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and he only calmed down when she pointed out that she spends more time with Shikamaru’s family than she does at home.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After that, they got a lot closer, and Naruto is relieved that she has one more family member.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright, everybody. It’s time to settle down.” Iruka-sensei stands at the head of the classroom with his hands on his hips, a stern look on his face. “Before I read off the team formations, I want to have a little chat with you all.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Naruto flicks Shikamaru in the ear when Iruka starts calling team formations twenty-five minutes later, after giving them one last lecture about how they’re protectors now, no longer little kids.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“...Team Seven will be… Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke-” Sasuke groans when Sakura cheers. “-and Uzumaki Naruto.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh great. I have to put up with her even more?</span>
  </em>
  <span> She and Sasuke share a look. Shikamaru sighs.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Team Eight will be Aburame Shino, Hyuuga Hinata, and Inuzuka Kiba… Team Nine is already in rotation… Team Ten will be Akimichi Chouji, Nara Shikamaru, and Yamanaka Ino.” Naruto swings her legs, tuning out Iruka’s voice now that all of the clan children are spoken for. Shikamaru had introduced her to his teammates once a few years ago. Chouji was nice but he keeps to himself; she kind of worries that she’d annoy him since she doesn’t always know how to shut up. Ino, however, though nice at first, quickly realized that Naruto is close to Sasuke and immediately wrote her off as some sort of rival.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shikamaru had rolled his eyes and told Ino that she’s just jealous and possessive.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>At least Sasuke’s on my team.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Your jounin sensei will collect you from this room after lunch,” Iruka finally announces. “So don’t go too far, and be back in your seats on time.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Everybody will come back, soon,” Shikamaru mutters into his bento, resting his chin in his empty hand. “You usually go to the bathroom after lunch.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Actually, now that I think about it…</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thanks, Shika-chan!” She rubs the back of her neck, a little embarrassed. At least Shikamaru knows her so well. “I almost forgot. Your mom packed me extra food today!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She’s washing up when she overhears a conversation that she probably isn’t supposed to. On her way out of the bathroom, Naruto decides to duck behind a low wall and eavesdrop--she wouldn’t usually, but it was </span>
  <em>
    <span>her</span>
  </em>
  <span> name she overheard.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“-I mean, I don’t know why you hang out with her, Sasuke-kun. That Naruto’s probably just using you to make friends. She doesn’t even have any family! I mean, she probably doesn’t know how to do anything outside of school, you know? She never has to follow any rules, and she’s probably going to get one of us killed--”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Shut up!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her new teammates are in the middle of an empty street. Sakura, wanting attention, probably followed Sasuke out of the classroom, hoping to </span>
  <em>
    <span>bond</span>
  </em>
  <span> (that is, hoping to bond without Naruto knowing about it). Naruto tries not to let the girl’s words bother her; why would Sakura know anything about Naruto’s life? How is she supposed to understand the trauma and abuse Naruto went through as a child?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You don’t know </span>
  <em>
    <span>anything</span>
  </em>
  <span>. You’re just a civilian girl playing ninja--you act like you know everything, but you’ve never lost anybody. You don’t know what pain is.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Sasuke…</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Naruto is like a sister to me. If I hear you say anything else about her, I </span>
  <em>
    <span>will</span>
  </em>
  <span> give you a black eye.” He swipes a hand through the air, getting in her face. Naruto can smell the salt from the tears that are gathering in the girl’s eyes. “Do you even know why Naruto lives alone? Do you even realize how horrible you sound? How can you say stuff like that about a girl whose parents </span>
  <em>
    <span>died</span>
  </em>
  <span>, whose older brothers became rogue ninja?” He shakes his head, turning his back on her. “I don’t want a teammate who thinks it’s okay to judge things she doesn’t understand.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>I should leave. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Naruto slinks back inside, heading straight to their classroom.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shikamaru eyes her when she makes it back to her seat, it’s like he has a radar for when she’s upset. “What happened?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nothing, I…” Naruto shakes her head. “I overheard Sakura trying to get Sasuke to like her.” She gives Shikamaru a smile that makes him look away, his cheeks turning pink. “He’s a good brother, don’t you think?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He slumps in his seat. “Hey, how come I’ve never been like a brother to you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Naruto leans her elbows on the desk, her chin propped against her palms. “I like you too much for you to be my brother, Shika-chan. Besides, the other day, your mom said ‘I wish you’d just marry my son right now’, so I don’t think we could be siblings either way.” She grins at him and the flustered look on his face. Mission accomplished.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What did you tell her?” he eventually manages to ask, fingers gripping the edge of the desk. When she scents the air, she can smell that he’s embarrassed, but also a little bit pleased. Relieved.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, I said, ‘Yoshino-chan, as much as I love Shika-chan, I’m too young to get married.’” His mom had pouted at her and hugged her, and said she’d ask again in a few years.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eventually, the other teams are collected, one by one, until Team Seven is the only one left. Has their jounin sensei forgotten about them? Eventually, when boredom gets the best of her (and since Sasuke’s not exactly chatty), Naruto resorts to practicing the tree-walking technique on the classroom walls.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She can use the technique for short periods of time, but then her grasp on her control vanishes and she either goes flying, or just completely falls off.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What are you doing?” Sasuke asks, his voice flat. Sakura’s on the complete opposite side of the room from him, but she’s also watching Naruto with rapt attention.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, didn’t you ever wonder how ninja are able to travel through the trees like they do?” Her feet stop sticking and she hits the ground, knocking her head on the floor. Sasuke jumps to his feet, but Naruto just groans and pushes herself up, embarrassed. “Shisui-nii-san was supposed to teach me after graduation.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, he’s not here anymore.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It’s an old argument. Sasuke feels abandoned, and Naruto never told him the full story about why Itachi and Shisui left, so he doesn't understand that they didn’t have that many options.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Naruto sighs, getting up off of the floor and dusting off her trousers. Before she can reply, though, the classroom door slides open and she hears, “Sorry I’m late. I got lost on the road of life and-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The man cuts off when Naruto launches herself across the classroom, catching her with a dumbfounded look on his face. “Naruto?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Inu-san~, I haven’t seen you in </span>
  <em>
    <span>ages</span>
  </em>
  <span>!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kakashi smiles with his eye, setting her down and ruffling her hair. “What happened? Yesterday, Umino-sensei told me you failed the exam.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She pokes him in the chest with a pout. “You’re asking my teacher about me?” She can’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> be mad at him, though, because he’s Kakashi and she loves him. “I did, but the old man thought it was weird that I kept failing with the way my grades were, so he gave me a </span>
  <em>
    <span>different</span>
  </em>
  <span> exam. It was a little harder, but the only reason I failed the academy exam was because I can’t make clones, and the old man thinks it’s because I have too much chakra and no control.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kakashi hums, slipping his hands in his pockets. “Well, alright. I think I have a solution for that.” He takes in the other two members of team seven, stepping further into the room. “Alright, children. Meet on the roof in two minutes.” He shunshins out of the classroom, leaving only a faint trail of leaves in his wake.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Naruto determinedly leaps out the window after her teammates exit the classroom, intent on climbing to the roof by practicing her tree-climbing technique. She stumbles a few times, but she still beats her teammates to the roof. Kakashi blinks at her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How did you…? You know tree-walking?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Naruto shrugs. “I understand the basics, but my control is shit. I think I only made it up here out of spite.” Behind her, the door to the rooftop opens. Her teammates spill onto the concrete with flushed faces, panting for breath. Naruto smirks. “You guys are thirty seconds late.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Once they’re all seated, Kakashi puts his book away and crosses his arms. “I’d like to start off with introductions. Pinkie, why don’t you go first?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sakura fidgets. “How are we supposed to know what to say, sensei? Why don’t you go first?” Naruto can practically feel Kakashi suppress the urge to roll his eyes. “Very well. My name’s Hatake Kakashi. I don’t feel like telling you about my likes and dislikes. I’ve never really thought about my future dream… As for my hobbies, I have many.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Reading porn, for example.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Um… Well, my name is Haruno Sakura. I like… um.” She fidgets some more, glancing to her left. “My future dream is… Ah, my hobby is…” Her gaze drops to her lap.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“As for your dislikes?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Naru-” She cuts herself off out of nowhere, cheeks turning an even brighter shade of red. Naruto counts the seconds. “I… don’t know.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>An awkward moment passes. Their new sensei breathes a light sigh. “Alright, next.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sasuke clears his throat. “Uchiha Sasuke. I like spending time with my sister. I dislike being followed around by people I’m not friends with.” At this, Sakura flinches as if she’s been burned. “My future dream is to find out the truth about my brother’s defection. And my hobby… uh…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Naruto pokes him in the side. “Your hobby is training in taijutsu. It’s literally all you ever do.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He makes a face at her. “Does that count as a hobby?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kakashi hums. “I suppose it counts. Alright, Naruto.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Yosh! This is easy!</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m Uzumaki Naruto, dattebayo! I like ramen and shogi! I </span>
  <em>
    <span>don’t</span>
  </em>
  <span> like it when my precious people get hurt. My dream is to bring peace to the shinobi world! And my hobbies are playing shogi with Shikaku-ji, watching the clouds with Shika-chan, and sparring with Sasuke-chan! Oh! And cooking with Yoshino-chan!” Is it frowned upon to add that one of your hobbies is spending time with your new sensei? After all, Naruto used to spend a lot of time with Kakashi--at least, until the old man took him out of ANBU and he started portraying his pervert persona to keep people at a distance. On top of that, he’s always so busy that she hasn’t really been able to spend time with him in ages.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And she </span>
  <em>
    <span>misses</span>
  </em>
  <span> him, but at least, now, he’s the leader of </span>
  <em>
    <span>her</span>
  </em>
  <span> team.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m wounded. None of your hobbies include me?” Kakashi holds a hand to his chest, feigning injury, but she can smell that he’s actually a little hurt about it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, they would if the old man didn’t keep you so busy! Baka-sensei.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kakashi chuckles, pushing himself up off of the railing. Even though he’s standing, there’s a slope to his spine that Naruto isn’t used to. Is it a part of his persona? Or is something weighing him down? </span>
  <em>
    <span>He doesn’t smell sad…</span>
  </em>
  <span> “Alright, listen up. You three may have graduated from the academy, but you still have one more test to take before you’ll be recognized as genin.” He crosses his arms. “Meet at training ground seven at five AM sharp. Oh, and don’t eat breakfast or you’ll throw up.” He gives them an infuriating eye smile before using the </span>
  <em>
    <span>shunshin </span>
  </em>
  <span>to escape.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A moment passes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, I’m gonna eat breakfast,” Naruto remarks to her teammates. “And you guys ought to as well, or you won’t have any energy to take Kakashi’s test.” Both of them look at her, like they’re not sure whether her idea’s a great one, or a really dumb one. Well, either way, Naruto’s going to eat breakfast. She was brought up by three ANBU, the Jounin Commander and head of the Nara Clan, and one of the smartest women in Konoha. She’s pretty intelligent.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ano… Naruto, how do you know that man?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sakura’s question is a surprise--not the content, of course, but the girl has never been a fan of Naruto’s, so directly addressing her feels like… </span>
  <em>
    <span>progress</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Sasuke should shout at people more often.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Unfortunately, Naruto doesn’t know how to explain that Kakashi used to be in ANBU and would simply follow her around all the time. “Um… He’s my friend? He kept an eye on me when I was really little, and whenever he wasn’t busy, he’d spend time with me. He knows who my parents were, but he’s not allowed to tell me. Nobody is.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Both of her teammates stay quiet, unsure of what to say and more than a little confused.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So, Itachi and Shisui were like brothers to you…,” Sasuke finally begins, “but our sensei isn’t. Why not? Actually, why isn’t Shikamaru considered your brother? His parents have practically raised you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sakura’s eyes are practically bugging out of her head by the end of Sasuke’s question. Did she think Shikamaru was just a school friend to Naruto? Why does Naruto have the sinking feeling that her genin team is literally going to consist of her constantly surprising others? Were people really certain she was some dumb monster?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m not really sure. It just feels different, you know? At least, I’m not really sure why Kakashi never felt like a brother to me. With Shikamaru, though, it’s ‘cause I like him too much. His mom asked me to marry him the other day.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sasuke coughs, awkward. Maybe a little protective. It’s hard to tell sometimes. “You’re twelve.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Naruto grins, laughing at the look on his face. She’s pretty sure Sasuke still thinks girls have cooties. He only tolerates Naruto because she’s his little sister. “That’s pretty much what I said. I told her to bring it up again in a few years.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They three of them head inside. Naruto figures she should stay with her teammates for now, because Sakura still looks like a kicked puppy, and Sasuke just looks bored of her. So Naruto rambles about everything she can think of, which isn’t hard, until Sakura turns to her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, since you know our sensei pretty well, do you have any ideas about the test he’s giving us tomorrow?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The question makes her pause. Sure, she knows Kakashi, so what can she infer from his personality and past that will determine the type of test he’s going to give?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Overall, she knows that he’s kind, and he cares deeply about his loved ones, even though there aren’t many left. He’s also a pervert. And he demonstrated today that he doesn’t mind being late to things. But that doesn’t explain what kind of test he’d give.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m gonna have to give it a bit more thought. Do you guys want me to cook dinner tonight? We can talk about it more while we eat.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sakura chews on her lip. “I don’t know about that, Naruto.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sasuke heaves a sigh, shrugging at her. “Whatever, I don’t care.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>These two...</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Look, if we pass Kakashi’s test, we’re going to have to learn how to spend a lot of time together anyway. We can’t just ignore each other all the time anymore. If we don’t get along, no matter how well we do on this test, we’re probably not going to go very far in our careers.” She crosses her arms, turning to face them with a glare. “Sasuke, if you really wanna get strong enough to hunt Itachi down and get your answers, you’re going to have to learn how to let people in. Sakura-chan, I know you don’t like me, but I’m not the one who doesn’t know her place in the world. I worked really hard to get where I am so far. I’m not a slacker, I’m gonna do my best to work with both of you and have your backs. If you can’t do the same for me and each other, why are you here?” With that, she uncrosses her arms and starts walking again. “I’ll make dinner tonight. If you want to come, Sasuke will have to show you where I live. I’d take you there myself, but I have to tell Yoshino-chan that I won’t be home tonight.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>It’s so tempting to take them out for ramen, but… Like Yoshino-chan says, cooking for others is a good way to bond with them! Besides, cooking isn’t hard, and it’ll give me time to form some theories about Kakashi’s test.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When she’d stopped to see Shikamaru’s parents, they’d smiled at her like she was the best thing ever. Shikaku had ruffled her hair and explained that Shikamaru had been home briefly, and that he told them how she’s a part of team seven. And Yoshino-chan had kissed her head and said that they were </span>
  <em>
    <span>proud</span>
  </em>
  <span>. They’re proud of her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Naruto stops at one of the small grocery stands that she usually visits with Yoshino-chan. She doesn’t know how this particular grocer feels about her, because she’s never come here alone before, but she has high hopes that the man won’t sell her rotten vegetables.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I see you have a ninja headband, Naruto-kun,” the man greets. When she lifts her gaze, he’s smiling at her. “Congratulations! You get a free head of lettuce today!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>What?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After she selects her items, the man charges her a normal amount and also hands her the promised lettuce, whistling a cheery tune. He wishes her luck as she leaves. It’s the most pleasant shopping trip she’s ever experienced by herself.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>By the time she makes it home, she’s had a similarly pleasant experience at the bakery she usually visits with Shikamaru’s mom, and the same at their preferred butcher. It takes her a while to realize that she hasn’t gone shopping on her own since she was eight. She hasn’t gone alone, but she </span>
  <em>
    <span>has</span>
  </em>
  <span> visited these same stalls at least twice a month in the last four years.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Focus, Naruto. You’re supposed to be picking apart Kakashi’s brain</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There’s something bugging her, though. He’s been pretty distant for the last few years, ever since the incident that led to Naruto getting a new teacher. After that, she hadn’t seen him as often, like he’d been avoiding her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Was he ashamed of himself? Was he avoiding her with the presumption that he’d scared her?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>It was the first time I ever called him by his name</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Focus, Naruto! You can worry about that later!</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Right. What kind of test will Kakashi give them? Thinking back, her mother’s letter had said that he lost both of his teammates, and that he’d spiraled into a sort of depression afterward. And then, her parents had died. Kakashi had clearly been close to them, too. </span>
  <em>
    <span>If only I knew who they were, I’d understand their effect on his life.</span>
  </em>
  <span> After all, her father had been Kakashi’s sensei, right?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Well, she never told him about her mother’s letter, so if she thought she might get away with it, she could just ask him who his sensei was. Knowing how private he is, though, he might avoid telling her on principle.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The door to her apartment swings open and Sasuke kicks his shoes off before filing into the kitchen to sit in his preferred chair. Sakura follows him inside, even more resigned than she was during their team meeting. “Oh, dinner smells wonderful.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Naruto beams, setting their meals in front of them and handing them glasses for drinks. “So, I was thinking about Kakashi. In the letter my mom left me, she said that he graduated really young from the academy, and he was made a jounin when he was twelve. But shortly after that, both of his teammates died. She said that he blames himself and it was really hard on him. I’m thinking he’s going to see if we’re willing to work with each other as a team, maybe he wants to know that we’re going to watch each other’s backs and protect each other.” She shrugs. “It’s hard, though, because he’s been kind of busy lately, so I haven’t seen him as much.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So, what you’re saying is, we need to work together as a team for him to pass us.” Sakura makes a face. “Is it really that easy?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, maybe we fail the test he gives us, but he still accepts us as students because we’re willing to work with each other,” Sasuke points out. “We’re barely genin. I’m an Uchiha, Naruto’s a tactical genius, and you had perfect grades, but if our sensei has been a jounin for that long, there’s no way we can beat him. If he wants us to fight, he’s just getting an idea of our current abilities.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Naruto agrees, especially knowing that Kakashi was an ANBU captain. “Something tells me he won’t pass us just because he knows me, so I doubt we’ll get by on association alone. I say we see what his test is, and then regroup and form a strategy based on the details and rules he gives us.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>For a while, they eat in silence, comfortable with their plan and their tentative bond. And then Sasuke kicks out at Naruto’s chair. “If Shikamaru’s parents want you two to get married, where do you sleep when you’re there?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Where do I sleep?</span>
  </em>
  <span> What kind of question is that? “Don’t be dumb, Sasuke. I sleep with Shikamaru.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sakura chokes on her food, cheeks turning bright red. Once she’s cleared her airway and taken a sip of water, she says, “You sleep in Shikamaru’s bedroom?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Naruto chews on the end of her chopsticks, giving the two of them her most confused look. “I sleep in Shikamaru’s bed…,” she answers slowly, in case they don’t understand. “I have since I was six, dattebayo!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sasuke and Sakura share a glance. It makes Naruto wonder, what’s so weird about that? She and Shikamaru have slept in the same bed for more than six years, he’s never complained about it, and his parents have always expected it. Is that going to start changing as they get older?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>I hope not. It’d be so weird to sleep in a different room.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sakura shifts in her seat, clasping her hands together. “What else do you guys do together?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t know, lots of stuff? Wait, what’s so weird about sleeping in Shikamaru’s bed? I’ve shared a bed with Itachi and Shisui more than once, too, ‘ttebayo. Or the couch, or wherever we’d fall asleep.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sasuke waves a hand. “That’s not weird because they’re your older brothers, right? But you said Shikamaru isn’t like a brother.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, but he’s still my best friend. I’ve spent more time with Shikamaru in the last six years than anybody else I know.” Naruto rolls her eyes, taking her dishes to the sink and putting an end to the topic at hand, but Sasuke follows.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll wash. Thank you for cooking, Naruto.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Asuma's Inquiries</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Shikamaru learns shogi from his Jounin Sensei. Asuma learns about their resident jinchuriki and her relationship to the Nara Clan.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>[interlude two - Shikamaru - june; age twelve]</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Shikamaru has to concede that shogi isn’t actually all that boring of a game. When he was younger, of course, he felt differently. He certainly hadn’t understood why Naruto and his dad seemed to like it so much. But… he’s gotta admit, he doesn’t actually hate it. From what he understands, Asuma-sensei likes the game a lot, just like Naruto and Shikamaru’s dad. Now that there are three people in his life that play the game a lot, Shikamaru supposes he should jump on the bandwagon. And hey, if he can get good enough at this game to beat the rest of them, it’s one thing he excels at in a list of things he’s never cared about before.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Besides, if he learns shogi, that’s one more thing he shares with Naruto that her teammates and jounin sensei do not. He </span>
  <em>
    <span>likes</span>
  </em>
  <span> being more important to her than other people. Ever since Sasuke decided he was going to watch over her, and ever since Sakura stopped being such a civilian, Shikamaru has had less and less time to spend with Naruto. She still comes home almost every night, but after hours of training and missions for both of them, they’re too tired to talk, let alone actually do anything fun.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gone are the days when he and Naruto could lie in the yard and watch the clouds, or curl up in the meadow with the deer. Gone are the days when they had time to join his mother in the kitchen, or help his father with his clan duties.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Most of all, Shikamaru just misses his best friend. She’s so close all the time, but she’s so </span>
  <em>
    <span>busy</span>
  </em>
  <span>. If she’d just make time for him, he would make time to spend with her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your mind is no longer in the game, Shikamaru.” In one move, Asuma takes out Shikamaru’s king, bringing a swift end to the game. Shikamaru resolutely doesn’t pout. “So? Where did you drift off to?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He resets his pieces, sighing at how pitiful he’s become. “I was thinking about Naruto.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Asuma hums, chewing on the end of a cigarette. At least the breeze isn’t blowing the smoke in his direction. “I see. How long has the kid been staying with you? Technically, nobody can officially adopt her, but the old man hasn’t taken her from your parents.” His voice darkens, sharp when he mentions his father. Something tells Shikamaru that there’s a story there, but it isn’t his place to press for answers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know that none of the adults were permitted to seek her out when we were little, but I’m the one who brought her home.” Shikamaru takes his turn, planning for all of Asuma’s possible moves. “And my dad told me that he technically couldn’t just take her in. So, I decided that she’s having a permanent sleepover at my house, and that was the end of it. If anybody has said anything to him, he hasn’t told me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They fall silent for a while. He lets his sensei chew on that information and plans the next handful of moves while he waits. He wonders why Asuma seems so curious about his relationship to Naruto. Then again, maybe he’s one of the people that Sandaime told not to watch out for Naruto. Why would you tell your own son that it’s wrong to look out for a little kid?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How did you meet?” Well, he’s not being very subtle about it. Shikamaru clears his throat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“On her sixth birthday, I caught a couple of chunin attempting to kill her. I told them my dad was with me and they split. From that day forward, I promised myself that I’d never leave her side.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A wave of fear passes through him; Asuma reigns in his Killing Intent with a soft apology. He says, “You’re a good man, Shikamaru.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shikamaru doesn’t know about all of that, but he </span>
  <em>
    <span>does</span>
  </em>
  <span> know that Asuma can answer one of the questions that’s been burning at him since he realized he couldn’t answer it by just asking around. “Say, Asuma-sensei. What’s a jinchuriki?”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. A Mission to Wave Country</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Naruto has convinced Sandaime to send her team on a C-rank mission, but we all know that this C-rank is actually an A-rank.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Okay, this chapter is going to get a little harsh. We have some feral!Naruto, and a near-death experience toward the end. Nobody dies.</p><p>Also, Tazuna is no judge of age. *shrugs*</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>[august; age twelve]</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Naruto!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Naruto skids to a stop halfway down the stairs near the main gate. She’s not running late, exactly, but she was going to do a final check of her pack before they headed out of the village. “Shikamaru~, I’m kind of in a hurry, ‘ttebayo!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His expression darkens a bit, mouth set in some kind of pout. “Look, I just… Please be careful.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Something about his tone sets off warning bells in her head, and Naruto fully turns to face her friend. If he’s really as concerned as he sounds, she can’t just walk away. “Is something wrong?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shakes his head, reaching out and flicking one of her pigtails. His eyes are unreadable. “You’ve never been allowed outside of the village walls before. I know how talented you are, but I still worry.” A moment passes before Shikamaru steps back. “Good luck. That guy just looks like a drunk.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She can’t help but throw her arms around him in a tight hug, breathing in his scent for a moment. It’s going to be awful, not seeing him for a while. Naruto really isn’t used to being away from him; Shikamaru has been such a comfort to her in the last several years that she’s a little worried she’ll have a hard time sleeping.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m a bit scared,” she admits, relieved that he doesn’t hesitate to hug her back. That’s one thing her best friend has never been shy about--whenever she reaches for him, he always reaches right back. Sometimes, he reaches for her, first. “What if I can’t sleep?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not like you stay at home every night,” he reminds her, patting her back. “You’re just escorting this guy to his home, right? You probably won’t be gone </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> long.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Naruto has the feeling it isn’t going to be that simple, but if she tells Shikamaru that, he’ll just start worrying even more. “Well, I don’t usually sleep all that well at the apartment. I only stay there when I gotta make it look like I still live there, or Jiji will get suspicious.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A noise gets stuck in his throat. “What do you mean?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Naruto hums. “Sometimes, they send ANBU to follow me around. Jiji doesn’t know it, but I can smell them, and their intentions. Those are the days I go back to the apartment. It’s only once every couple of months.” There are only a couple who actually report her to the Hokage, like Owl and Cricket. Cat and Tiger usually just follow her for a little bit. Sometimes, they even join her at the ramen stand. Bear just shows himself and then leaves without actually making sure she goes home.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Dog was still a part of ANBU, he’d go home with her just so he could spend time with her, up until he was taken out of ANBU and started avoiding her. Since then, he’s apologized, and claimed that he was incredibly busy at the time. It wasn’t a </span>
  <em>
    <span>complete</span>
  </em>
  <span> lie, but Naruto knows it wasn’t completely truthful, either.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She steps back, but her hands are reluctant to let go of his shirt, and Shikamaru’s don’t drop from her shoulders. “I’ll still be here when you get back,” he murmurs. “I have trouble sleeping when you aren’t around, too.” Suddenly, he grins at her. “When you get back, I challenge you to a game of shogi.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re on, dattebayo!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Honestly, sometimes Naruto wishes Asuma was </span>
  <em>
    <span>her</span>
  </em>
  <span> jounin sensei. Don’t get her wrong, she loves Kakashi, but he’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>Kakashi</span>
  </em>
  <span>. She’s known him since forever, and sometimes, she feels like she’s not getting to explore her full potential as a student. He’s one of the top jounin in the great nations, you’d think he’d work them harder, or at least stop treating them like little kids. But </span>
  <em>
    <span>no</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he keeps himself at a distance, not wanting to get in too deep…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Not wanting to get too attached.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Not wanting to lose them the way he lost his own genin team.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Naruto shakes herself, glancing over at her teammates. Their dynamic is already fifty times better than the day they were given their team assignments, but Sakura is clearly still one of Sasuke’s fangirls. And Naruto can tell that her pink haired teammate still </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> gets on her brother’s nerves, which means that their trip is going to be a headache and a half. She doesn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> mind; it’s going to take time for them to become a true unit, of course it is. Naruto just hopes it doesn't take </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her nose twitches as they pass a puddle of water in the road. During one of the driest months of the year. When it hasn’t rained in days. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Naruto pauses, the others walking on without her. Her eyes don’t mistake the tension in Kakashi’s neck, though, which tells her he’s only pretending not to notice. Sakura and Sasuke lead on with Tazuna right behind them, bickering about one thing or another as per usual.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The puddles morph into men, shinobi who leap into action before Naruto can even call out a warning. Her body reacts on autopilot; she finds herself with a kunai in hand, springs onto one of the men’s backs, and pierces her weapon deep into his throat. It appears that the lessons Itachi and Shisui gave her when she was a little kid have paid off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A few paces away, Kakashi knocks the other man unconscious with a few well-placed hits. Sasuke and Sakura dutifully guard Tazuna, but she can see how pale they are, how their grips on their weapons are turning their knuckles white. Her vision blurs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can let go, Naruto,” Kakashi murmurs, inching toward her. Confused, she glances down to realize… she’s still gripping the dead ninja by his shirt. The fabric slides out of her loosened hand and the man hits the ground with a dull </span>
  <em>
    <span>thump</span>
  </em>
  <span>. The metallic stench of his blood is the only thing she can smell.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Two hands wrap around her arms, grounding her--Kakashi’s eye is understanding. “We have to clean up, yes? Do you remember what to do?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“H-hai.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I’m a shinobi. Shinobi are tools for their village. To kill is to be useful.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Naruto focuses her thoughts. Shikaku-ji doesn’t cry when he takes a difficult mission! He pats Shika-chan on the head and gives Naruto a hug--he tells them to behave and train hard! She’s going to do her best to protect her comrades, no matter what!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>While Kakashi restrains the other shinobi against a tree trunk, placing a seal on him and sending a messenger to the village for somebody to collect him, Naruto makes quick work of the other’s corpse, placing it into a stasis scroll to be autopsied once they return to the village and securing the scroll in her pack.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The others haven’t moved.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Their sensei herds everybody back into formation, falling into step beside Naruto once again. </span>
  <em>
    <span>So many mixed signals! </span>
  </em>
  <span>He avoided her for so long, but he was hurt when she didn’t mention him; he doesn’t want to get attached, but he chooses to walk at her side.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Naruto thinks Kakashi’s heart is big; he’s just too afraid of getting it broken again. His father, his teammates, his sensei...</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A few years ago, I found a letter from my mom in a box somebody left in my apartment.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His tells are subtle, even more than most. Kakashi is ex-ANBU, an elite jounin. He’s also a paranoid bastard. “A letter…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She asked me to take care of you. Apparently, you don’t know how to do it yourself.” Naruto tosses him a smile, hoping that she hasn’t worried him. When she scents the air, his emotions are hard to pick up on.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Unfortunately, Kushina-chan always saw right through me.” He turns his cheek, glancing at her. “What else did she tell you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She puts on her best pout. “She told me about being a jinchuriki… And how I probably became one if she died. I guess she must’ve written the letter with the assumption that she might pass away while having me, because she didn’t say anything about who my father is. Oh, but she did tell me a little bit about our clan!” Naruto shakes herself, sliding her hands into her pockets. “I bet she was really cool, huh?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He hums. “She was. Some people thought she was a bit too much to handle, but she was talented, and strong. And she had a lot of love in her heart.” He pauses for a moment, his eye focusing on their teammates. Naruto stops with him. “I’m sorry that I wasn’t able to stay at your side. Hokage-sama doesn’t like being disobeyed. He decided I was too attached and ordered me to keep away from you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because you threatened the Headmaster?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And your homeroom teacher,” Kakashi responds blandly. He starts forward again, quiet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Naruto understands. Jiji </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> possessive. Naruto is a shinobi, a weapon of the village. “It’s not your fault, Kashi.” She gives him her best smile, picking up the pace in order to catch up to their team. “I still love you!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Naruto plows their client to the ground just in time to save his head from being taken off. Her nose has been twitching for nearly twenty minutes, but even Kakashi has been fairly relaxed, so she’d assumed it was just from allergies or something. She’s reconsidering.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well then. This really seems a little too easy, I almost pity you,” the newcomer announces, perched on his sword. Naruto squints up at him, taking in as many details as she can while helping Tazuna-oji-san to his feet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This isn’t good,” she hears Kakashi murmur. Internally, she wants to scoff. Kakashi’s one of the strongest jounin she’s ever heard of; even Shikaku-ji says the same.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A voice in the back of her mind tells her that it’s not himself Kakashi’s worried about. Naruto growls, putting one hand on her hip and shaking a fist at the man, like Yoshino-chan does when Shikamaru says something rude.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You coulda killed somebody with that thing, ‘ttebayo!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nearby, Sasuke drops his head into his hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The man in the tree chuckles, dropping to the ground with his sword in hand. “That was the goal, child.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, that’s not very nice! Didn’t anybody ever teach you manners? Jeez, you’d think you were raised in a-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Naruto!” her sensei barks, silencing her. He doesn’t often get angry, but when he does…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He doesn’t usually sound so passionate about it.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He’s worried.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>Idiot.</b>
</p><p>
  <span>Naruto makes a face, stepping in front of their client. Sasuke and Sakura fall into formation with her, weapons drawn, but Naruto only opens her shuriken pouch. She doesn’t know anything about their enemy, and Kakashi apparently doesn’t like their proximity to the shinobi with a crossed-out hitai-ate.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>From what she understands, a shinobi whose forehead protector is crossed out, it means they’ve cut all ties with their hidden village; essentially, they are rogue ninja. Shikaku-ji calls them missing-nin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Technically, her older brothers are considered missing-nin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Momochi Zabuza.” Kakashi slinks forward, slowly. The line of his shoulders is falsely relaxed--she can see the tension in them. “Is there any way we can settle this civilly?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hand over the bridge-builder and I’ll let the children live.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Behind her, Sakura gasps. Sasuke makes no sound, but Naruto can smell their fear, and if she can smell it, that man can probably sense it, too. She doesn’t like that at all. “The bridge-builder is under the protection of the Hidden Leaf,” she announces, channeling her inner Shikaku. He says that it’s best to exude authority, even when you’re unsure of yourself. “We will do what we must to protect him, even if that means putting our lives on the line.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Their enemy cocks his head, his eyes focusing on her instead of their client. “Kakashi of the Sharingan,” he starts, “this is an interesting child. Unfortunately, I will have to kill her if she gets in my way.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ll have to get through me, first,” their sensei responds, a layer to his voice that sends a chill down Naruto’s spine.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It turns out that this Zabuza is one of seven elite swordsmen from the Hidden Mist. She’s not sure where she learned it, but Naruto </span>
  <em>
    <span>does</span>
  </em>
  <span> know a little bit about them. It’s a wonder why they split up if they all trained and worked together.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And Zabuza is a strong opponent, who happens to trap Kakashi despite his strength. Naruto </span>
  <em>
    <span>doesn’t</span>
  </em>
  <span> like that. There won’t be a lot of time before Kakashi passes out from the lack of oxygen, which means Naruto and her teammates will have to think of something </span>
  <em>
    <span>quickly</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Sasuke is no match for him, even though his taijutsu has gotten so much better since she started helping him. And Naruto knows Sakura won’t be any sort of match for the man, which ultimately… leaves </span>
  <em>
    <span>her</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I just need to free Kakashi from the water prison. He was caught off guard, but it won’t happen again.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span> Naruto switches places with a clone, who turns to her brother. “Sasuke.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dark eyes focus on her and she throws him their only chance of freeing Kakashi. She won’t leave here without him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Immediately, thankfully, Sasuke understands. With a flourish, he produces his own windmill shuriken and aims high. She waits until her </span>
  <em>
    <span>henged</span>
  </em>
  <span> body is </span>
  <em>
    <span>just</span>
  </em>
  <span> past Zabuza before releasing the jutsu and landing on his back with her kunai pressing into the skin of his throat. Her left hand grips his ear, claws extending from her fingers without her permission. Blood drips down her hand, down his neck.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Release my sensei,” she hisses, nails digging into his flesh. Her kunai sinks a little deeper into the skin of his neck, but not deep enough to be fatal by any degree.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>If he’d refused, Naruto wouldn’t have hesitated to kill him. As it is, Naruto’s nose never lies--the man smells sad. The heavy kind of sad, like Kakashi in his most quiet moments. The kind that means grief, sorrow, </span>
  <em>
    <span>something bigger than Naruto and her team</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He doesn’t refuse, though. The water prison falls away, Kakashi soaked to the bone but alive and conscious. Naruto doesn’t let go of the man, still perched on his back while blood drips from the wounds she’s inflicted on him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“People call me a demon, too,” she murmurs. “If you’re really the demon you say you are, why are you working for yakuza scum?” She lets go of what remains of his left ear, kunai at his throat but no longer piercing. “You and your partner should leave.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His body tenses even more. “Partner?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She hums, even as her teammates watch in horror. Kakashi’s already scanning the surrounding trees for another presence. “Partner,” she confirms. “You don’t seem like the type to raise a rabbit, Zabuza-oji. Your partner smells… younger. A teenager, maybe? Lots of teenagers keep pets, dattebayo.” With her bloody hand, she points at the cluster of trees where his partner hides, smirking and sliding down off of his back. Kakashi immediately reaches for her, putting himself ahead of her despite her success.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After all, she’s still a genin. She’s not even sure how she landed on his back like that in the first place. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I’m really gonna have to thank Itachi-nii-san when I see him.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Naruto, are you alright?” Kakashi goes full mother-hen as soon as the demon and his partner have fled, hands frantically searching her for wounds.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ne, Inu-san~! I’m fine! All this blood is from Zabuza’s ear!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her teammates cock their heads. Had they not noticed? Even Kakashi squints at her. He’s understandable, though, because he’d been on the man’s right side, but apparently Sasuke and Sakura hadn’t seen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, I might’ve clawed it off.” Ignoring the dumbfounded looks on their faces, Naruto crouches at the edge of the water to scrub the blood from her hands until they’re squeaky clean--or as clean as they can get without soap. Without the blood, it’s obvious that Naruto hasn’t been injured, which calms Kakashi down considerably. Unfortunately, their client still seems to be in shock.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did a ten-year-old just scare away a rogue ninja?” he whimpers to the universe.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The next week passes quietly. Between training and taking turns guarding Tazuna, Kakashi keeps them busy. Naruto, unfortunately, still hasn’t mastered tree-walking (though neither has Sasuke), so it’s mostly Sakura that guards Tazuna while Naruto and Sasuke work on their chakra control.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It sucks, though, because Naruto doesn’t believe for one minute that Zabuza has completely given up, and who </span>
  <em>
    <span>knows</span>
  </em>
  <span> what that Gato person will throw at them next. Naruto doesn’t like the thought of Sakura being the only one guarding Tazuna, because Sakura really </span>
  <em>
    <span>isn’t</span>
  </em>
  <span> strong enough, yet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So she pushes herself to work even harder, forgoing sleep and meals in the hopes of learning better control. How can she let up when one of her teammates is out there alone, no backup?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s one such morning that she wakes up in a small clearing after a night of rigorous training that she finds herself face to face with a boy who looks like a girl and smells like Zabuza’s friend. The boy smiles at her, playing his part of civilian well, and asks why she’s sleeping outside where it’s dangerous.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I want to make myself stronger.” The words slip from her mouth before she realizes it, but then she decides that she should properly introduce herself. “My name is Uzumaki Naruto, dattebayo! It’s really nice to meet you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m Haku. It’s my pleasure, Naruto-chan.” He tilts his head. “Why are you so determined to become stronger?”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>If I tell him, maybe we’ll understand each other a little better.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Naruto gives him a smile. “I want to protect the people I love, Haku-chan. My friends, my family. I want to be able to protect them from anything that might hurt them.” Haku’s eyes widen, just a little. “You understand, don’t you, Haku-chan? Do you have people who you want to protect?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He hums. “There is somebody precious to me. A person I’d like to protect, no matter the cost to myself.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Haku eventually gets up to leave, Naruto pushes herself to her feet, hands on her hips like Yoshino-chan does when she’s really serious about something. “And Haku-chan… If either of you hurt my precious people, I’ll show you what a real demon can do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Naruto wakes up and the sun is already high in the sky, something heavy settles on her shoulders. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Today. They’re going to attack today.</span>
  </em>
  <span> There’s no telling why she’s so sure about it, but something just feels… </span>
  <em>
    <span>off</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>If I hurry, I can make it in time… But every enemy has a strategy. What if they send somebody back here for Tsunami and the brat?</span>
  </em>
  <span> Naruto rubs her chin, halfway into her jacket. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What would Shikamaru say?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>Leave a few clones.</b>
</p><p>
  <span>Naruto smacks her fist against her palm. “That’s perfect! </span>
  <em>
    <span>Kage bunshin no jutsu</span>
  </em>
  <span>!” Three clones materialize beside her, </span>
  <em>
    <span>also</span>
  </em>
  <span> half dressed with massive bed-heads. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Oops.</span>
  </em>
  <span> “I need you guys to look after Tazuna-san’s family while I go to the bridge!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You got it, boss!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She only hopes she’s going to make it in time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Naruto leaps from tree to tree as fast as her feet can carry her, thoughts of her teammates and their client swirling around in her head. What if Zabuza and Haku hurt them while she’s not there? What if something goes horribly wrong and Naruto arrives too late, and all of her teammates are dead?</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Don’t be an idiot. Kakashi used to be in ANBU. Sasuke is talented and Sakura’s smart. They’ll be okay.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>But you have something they don’t.</b>
</p><p>
  <span>Naruto hums. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Ne, Kyuubi-san, how come you won’t tell me your name?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>Humans are despicable.</b>
</p><p>
  <span>He says humans are despicable, but he literally </span>
  <em>
    <span>just</span>
  </em>
  <span> helped her figure out a way to keep an eye on Tazuna’s family, and he heals her when she’s hurt. Naruto doesn’t fully understand the Nine-Tails yet, but she hasn’t had very much time to get to know him. She’s only known about him for a few months, when Shikamaru hunted her down after a lesson with Asuma-sensei. His eyes were alight with knowledge gained, a look so rare on his face because he already knows </span>
  <em>
    <span>so much</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>(</span>
  <em>
    <span>“Naruto!” He grasps her hands, pulling her away from Sasuke and Sakura. “I found the answer!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Shikamaru~, I’m in the middle of a mission, ‘ttebayo! Can’t this wait?” She doesn’t understand--not yet. But Shikamaru doesn’t release her, doesn’t even deign to respond, not until he’s </span>
  </em>
  <span>sure</span>
  <em>
    <span> they haven’t been followed.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I asked Asuma-sensei what a jinchuriki is.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>It feels like her stomach drops out--they’ve been trying to figure it out ever since she got her mom’s letter, but the library people don’t like to see her face, and Shikamaru says that any books and scrolls about jinchuriki are apparently only accessible by people with the Hokage’s permission. “And… Did he tell you? Shika, did he tell you?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He nods, pulling her down onto the grass in a patch of shade. “A jinchuriki is a person who has one of the tailed beasts sealed inside them as a child. There are nine tailed beasts in total, and Konoha has been home to the Kyuubi jinchuriki since Shodaime-sama was still Hokage.” Her best friend squeezes her hands, giving her a pensive look. “I guess that means you’re the Kyuubi jinchuriki. There’s more to the story, from what Asuma-sensei says, but he wouldn’t tell me anything else.”</span>
  </em>
  <span>)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Naruto perches in a tree at the edge of the water with a good view of the bridge just in time to see Sasuke and Haku attack each other while Kakashi faces off with Zabuza. Her heart aches--she thinks Haku’s actually kind of nice, even if he has pledged himself to somebody who uses him as a tool. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Doesn’t Zabuza care about Haku-chan?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>Why don’t you ask him?</b>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe she will.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Meanwhile on the bridge, things take a turn for the worst. Sasuke finds himself surrounded by plates of ice. Her brother’s talented, but he’s younger than Haku and he hasn’t awakened his eyes, yet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>None of them have noticed her. Near the end of the bridge, Kakashi faces the demon of the mist, but Naruto knows he can hold his own just fine--she doesn’t think he’ll lose against the man.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So, helping Sasuke is Naruto’s priority.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She slinks along the side of the bridge, pleased that all of her hard work has paid off and that she doesn’t slip or stumble until she’s close enough to pop up on the other side of Haku’s barrier, where she’s less likely to be noticed.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>A kunai isn’t going to cut through those mirrors. What do you think, Kyuubi-san?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>The big fox grumbles, but doesn’t respond, leaving her to her own devices. She can launch a straightforward attack to take Haku’s attention off of Sasuke, but there’s no guarantee that Sasuke will find a way out of the barrier on his own. She can try to talk Haku down, but he won’t listen to Naruto as long as Zabuza wants to fight. What else…? Naruto’s eyes slide shut and her nose twitches--inside her mind, the old fox growls.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>What do you want?</b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I want to save them, Kyuubi-san.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>Then save them, brat. What do you want with me?</b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I need your help. I can’t break through these mirrors by myself.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He groans, rolling over and burying his nose in his pile of fluffy tails. </span>
  <b>Do what you want.</b>
</p><p>
  <span>When she opens her eyes, everything around her is tinged red. Her body is covered in a layer of boiling hot chakra, visible to the naked eye. It’s corrosive nature permeates the very air around her, calling the attention of everybody else on the bridge.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tails spring from her back, crushing Haku’s mirrors and bringing his fight with Sasuke to an end. “</span>
  <b>Your opponent is me</b>
  <span>,” she announces to the boy. Her voice carries a demonic undertone. “Haku-chan,” she adds more softly, “I don’t want to have to kill you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sasuke collapses to his knees, exhausted and wounded, but his eyes lock onto Naruto right away. “Naruto…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you trust me, nii-san?” she asks, sparing him a glance. His lips pull down at the corners.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I trust you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Be with me.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the end, Naruto takes Kakashi’s chidori in order to save Haku. She understands his pain, and she can’t stand the thought that he’ll die here. If the only way to stop this fight is to push herself to her full limits, Naruto will do it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even if she ends up breaking Dog’s heart in the process.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Naruto!”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Kakashi kneels, yanking his arm out of the wound in her chest, pulling her into the safety of his arms. “N-Naruto, why would you…?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her lungs reject the blood that tries to fill them, sending her into a coughing fit. She can smell the grief surrounding her longest friend, but she can also smell her own blood in overwhelming amounts. “S’okay,” she mumbles, trying to give Kakashi a smile. </span>
  <em>
    <span>He doesn’t deserve this.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>She watches, enraptured, as Kakashi’s sharingan eye overflows with tears. </span>
  <em>
    <span>He’s crying?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>But Naruto can already feel the Kyuubi’s chakra filling the empty space in her chest, mending as much of the damage as he can without overwhelming her. Her breath comes easier, the bleeding slows, and Naruto pointlessly tries to wipe away the blood on her chin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry, Kakashi.” This time, her voice is a little more clear, prompting him to look at her more intensely. “Didn’t have enough time to warn you, ‘ttebayo.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Kyuubi may be healing her as much as he can, but that doesn’t alter the fact that Kakashi’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>raikiri</span>
  </em>
  <span> hurts like hell. She leans into his arms, agonized, and lets him hold her. She really missed being able to hug him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Don’t you die on me</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” he hisses. It’s like there’s nobody else on the bridge except Naruto and Kakashi, which makes no sense. He should be fighting Zabuza, but maybe her actions have taken the nukenin by surprise, as well. Is </span>
  <em>
    <span>anybody</span>
  </em>
  <span> moving?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not gonna,” she hears herself promise.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Not on my watch,</b>
  <span> the Kyuubi grumbles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She doesn’t know how many seconds pass before she pushes herself out of Kakashi’s arms. He doesn’t get up off of his knees, but his attention also diverts to the two shinobi Naruto injured herself to protect.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Haku’s mask has been abandoned on the ground, face eerily pale. “Why would you do that?” He shakes his head, eyes boring into hers. “Why would you do that? You could have died!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sometimes,” Kakashi answers roughly, bloodied hand resting on her shoulder, “her heart is bigger than her brain.” Now that the grief has lessened, Naruto can smell the burning rage at her stupidity, but she doesn’t regret her actions. Haku is alive because Naruto intervened.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t want you to die, Haku-chan.” She crosses her arms. “And no matter what Zabuza says, I think maybe it’s safe to say that he feels the same way. People cannot turn their feelings off, Haku-chan, no matter how hard they try. Most of my loved-ones have attempted to.” Kakashi’s hand grips her shoulder more tightly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The demon stays silent, and Naruto growls. “Don’t you care about Haku? He works so hard to please you, he does everything you ask, he even gave up on his own dreams because he wants to make yours come true so bad.” Naruto chokes on her own breath, swiping a hand through the air. “I don’t think killing Tazuna-san has anything to do with your dreams.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi catches her when she falls, pushed well beyond her limits, </span>
  <em>
    <span>way</span>
  </em>
  <span> past the limits of a normal twelve year old. His face is grim, but he doesn’t make any remarks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Across the bridge, their opponents regard her, expressions hard to read. Naruto tests her nose, but they’re not close enough for her to get a reading on their emotions--all she can smell is Kakashi’s worry and sadness and anger.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before anybody can say anything, there’s a commotion at the end of the bridge, unfinished though it is. The man called Gato stands with thirty men behind him, each of them armed and ready to fight. “Kill them all,” he orders, and his followers rush forward, brandishing weapons of all sorts. It seems as though Zabuza’s deal with the man is off, but Naruto doesn’t think these yakuza know what they’re up against.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After all, most of them aren’t born killers like shinobi are.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. The Story of Team Seven</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Sakura asks a question that everybody wants to hear the answer to: what happened to Kakashi's teammates?</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Mistakes are mine!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>[september; age twelve]</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t believe Tazuna-san wanted to name his bridge after you,” Sasuke mutters darkly, glancing at Naruto. His wounds are healed--they stuck around for another two weeks while Naruto recuperated and the old man finished his bridge. Zabuza and Haku had left the area not long after Gato's death.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Naruto shrugs. "Well, I was able to talk him into picking something else. I asked him to name it for the fallen village of my clan." She thinks her mom would like that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Kakashi-sensei," Sakura begins when they've been running for a few hours. It seems like each of them has gotten the hang of their chakra control, which has Kakashi leading them through the trees instead of following the path. According to him, it's more of a straight shot toward home. "What was your genin team like?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Naruto pauses in her tree at the same time that Kakashi pauses in the front of their group. It's evening, and Naruto is willing to bet that he's going to declare this their stop for the night, to her relief.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Set up camp," he decides, stepping off of the branch to land lightly on the ground. When Naruto scents the air, she can tell that he's affected. Is it nostalgia, maybe? Or something heavier?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It isn't until everyone is seated around the fire that Kakashi finally gives in and starts to answer Sakura's question. "My genin team was… probably a handful for my sensei. I was a troubled kid, you know, so I often felt that my teammates were holding me back. I graduated from the academy really early, so I didn't know how to play well with others. First of all, Team Seven has always been made up of the number one rookie, the top kunoichi, and the dead last of the class. You guys are the first exception to the rule, if you didn't know. It's unusual to have two kunoichi on the same team."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Naruto leans over to Sakura, stage whispering, "By unusual, he means it's never happened before."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sasuke snorts, shrugging his shoulders. "That's because the ratio of boys to girls is less than two to one. It's pretty unusual for a graduating class to have more girls than teams."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Naruto turns to Sakura to repeat her last statement, but Kakashi interjects before she can.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <em>
    <span>Anyway</span>
  </em>
  <span>, the kunoichi on my team was training to become a medic-nin. Rin was talented and smart, and she cared immensely about everybody on our team... Even me." He clears his throat. "The other member of my team was an Uchiha orphan named Obito. He was the dead last of our class, and… well, our personalities clashed. I strived for perfection in everything I did, so it irked me that Obito was bad at everything. Not only that, but he was always late to every meeting, every mission, and every important event. Truth be told, Obito never intended to be late to anything, but he had a good heart. If he saw somebody in need, he would stop to help them, even at the cost of his own dignity." Kakashi sighs. "During the last war, my team was given a mission, my first mission as a jounin. We were only twelve at the time, but promotions were handed out quickly with the war going on. I got cocky, certain that I could handle it. My sensei tried to convince me to back off, but I was headstrong." Naruto finds herself enraptured, wanting to hear everything Kakashi has to say. When she glances at her teammates, they look just as enthralled as she feels. "Rin was captured by the enemy when Obito and I were distracted, and… my immediate reaction was to carry on the mission. Obito argued with me, intent on saving her, and before he left, he told me something that I never forgot. He told me that a shinobi who breaks the rules might be scum, but a shinobi who abandons their comrades is worse than scum." Kakashi shakes his head, falling silent.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Sensei, why didn't you want to save your teammate?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Naruto gets up from her seat and plops down beside their sensei, tucking herself under his arm while remembering her mother's plea to take care of him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi pulls her closer without a word before he turns back to their teammates. "When I was very young, not long after I graduated, my father failed a mission. Instead of leaving his teammates behind, he chose to save them at the cost of vital information. The entire village turned against him, including the comrades he saved. Not long after, he committed seppuku out of shame and heartbreak." Naruto's heart beats loudly in her ears. "When I found his body hours later, I vowed to myself that I would never break the rules. If breaking the rules could break a person, I was certain that I had to be very strict about following the rules." Kakashi clears his throat. "But Obito told me that my father was a hero, and the things he said… really stuck with me. I tried to carry on with the mission, but I hardly made it ten minutes before turning around to follow him. I made it just in time to save Obito from one of the enemies who’d managed to mute their presence so well we couldn’t even see him--that’s how I lost my eye.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you save the kunoichi?” Sasuke asks softly, wrapping his arms around his knees. Kakashi is giving them way more information that Naruto expected him to, and she can’t help but wonder what it’s all leading up to.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Their sensei hums. “We did. Unfortunately, the enemy wasn’t about to let us escape. The collapsed the cave we were in, and something hit my blind side--if it wasn’t for Obito, I would have been crushed in that cave.” His hand ruffles Naruto’s pigtails. “But because he saved me, Obito was crushed under the rubble. I tried to free him, but I was just a kid. There was no way I could have moved the boulder off of him, and he knew it. So he told Rin to transfer his eye into me, and promised to see the future for me. We were forced to leave him behind.” Kakashi coughs to fill the silence. “Not even a year later, Rin was kidnapped. I managed to rescue her from her captors, but she kept insisting that something was wrong--she wanted me to kill her. I refused; I had promised Obito that I would protect her at any cost. But I guess… I guess they had done something to her, made her into some kind of weapon that was going to rampage once we made it to the village. We were attacked on the way home, and in the middle of my fight… Rin intercepted my </span>
  <em>
    <span>raikiri</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Kakashi…</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Naruto, please… never do that again,” he adds. He sounds nonchalant, but Naruto can tell how serious he is--and how much her stunt had affected him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That’s going to eat at her for a long time, but… she managed to save two people.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So… the jutsu that Rin used to kill herself,” Sasuke starts, “is the same jutsu that Naruto jumped in front of?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The jounin only nods.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How is she alive?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Sakura interjects. “And how did Naruto manage to break Haku’s ice mirrors? Sasuke was unable to escape, but Naruto crushed them like they were nothing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi hums. “Actually, I’d like to know how you managed these feats, too, Naruto-chan.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Naruto knows that Kakashi knows what she is, but perhaps he hasn’t realized just what it means, to be the jinchuriki of the Kyuubi. Speaking of…</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Thank you for helping me, Kurama. I couldn’t have done it without you.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>Just be glad that I’m not ready to die. I’d rather take over your body myself.</b>
</p><p>
  <span>Somehow, Naruto doesn’t quite believe that, but she doesn’t say it. She only returns her attention to her teammates, ready to get this secret off of her chest. “The night I was born, my mother passed away and the Nine-Tailed Fox was sealed into me. Ever since, I’ve been treated like I’m the Nine-Tails instead of the person who carries it, and that’s why most of the villagers hate me. I didn't know what I was as a little kid.” She shrugs, careful not to knock Kakashi’s arm away. “It was Shikamaru who finally got the answer. My mom’s letter mentioned the word, but we couldn’t figure out what it meant. It wasn’t until Shikamaru asked Asuma-sensei, and he was willing to tell Shika-chan the truth. And that’s when I met the Nine-Tails in my seal. He’s just a big old grumpy fox, really. He doesn’t have to help me, but he does anyway.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her teammates chare a wordless glance, their camp gone eerily silent except for the crackle of the fire.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Needless to say, everybody goes to bed with a lot on their minds. Naruto offers to take the first watch, but she does it from a spot in a tree directly above Kakashi’s bedroll.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She doesn’t regret saving Haku, but she regrets that she hadn’t gone about it a different way. Making him relive his teammate’s suicide while also scaring him because she’d put herself in danger was </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> what she intended, and yet…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Well, Naruto won’t be doing anything remotely dangerous for quite awhile, if only out of courtesy for Kakashi’s frayed nerves. And mental health.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Man, I should’ve gotten more information on his teammates a long time ago. I knew Rin had committed suicide, but I didn’t realize it was by Kakashi’s hand! Literally!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Naruto sighs.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>There’s so much I don’t know!</span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Enter Obito!</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Itachi and his boyfriend are fighting again.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I don't think there are any plotholes, but if there are, I thoroughly apologize.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>[interlude three - obito - september; age twelve]</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Itachi, I want to go back for Naruto, too,” Shisui insists, slapping his palm against the table for emphasis. “Believe me, I don’t want to leave her there any longer either, but if we go back now, we might be hurting her more than helping her!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Obito stifles a sigh, dropping his chin into his hand. Itachi and Shisui have been quarreling about the same thing for nearly two weeks, but they’re so tight-lipped about the subject of their argument that he’s becoming more and more curious with every fight.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How are we hurting her by taking her away from that- that </span>
  <em>
    <span>man</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” Itachi pushes his hair out of his face, bracing himself against the back of a chair. “I wanted to bring her with us when we left, Shisui, but we couldn’t have taken care of her. She was already injured and traumatized, so taking her away from her home wouldn’t have been plausible. But that doesn’t mean she’s not ready now!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shisui growls, grabbing Itachi by the shoulders and getting in his face. “You want to take her away from the Nara Clan, from </span>
  <em>
    <span>Inu-senpai</span>
  </em>
  <span>? You want to take her away from Sasuke?” He shakes his lover in an attempt to get through to him. “She’s not ready to know the truth, Itachi!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Unfortunately, Itachi doesn’t look like he’s going to give up any time soon, and Shisui looks just as impassioned. Obito’s getting tired of the fighting. He’s not the leader of this organization, but he wants it to succeed just as badly as Nagato and Konan, and that can’t happen if their members keep arguing amongst themselves.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Itachi, Shisui. These squabbles must end. How can we expect to bring peace to the world if we can’t even keep the peace amongst ourselves?” They don’t know his real name, but they’ve both witnessed his sharingan in action. He often finds himself in the middle of their fights due to the fact that they share a clan. “This has been going on for several days. If the two of you can’t come to a decision by yourselves, I’m afraid it’s up to me to make it for you.” They only know him as Tobi, but they respect him all the same. “What is it that you cannot seem to agree on?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A moment passes, after which Shisui releases his boyfriend and turns to face Obito, inclining his head. “On the night Danzo stole my eye, Itachi and I weren’t alone. We were training our little sister when his agents attacked. We wanted to bring her away from that place, but she was too young and her injuries needed time to heal.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“One of our contacts in the village let us know that she and her teammates are on a mission out of the village,” Itachi explains, “but we didn’t hear about it until two weeks ago. By now, they’re on their way back to the village. There’s probably enough time to catch them before they make it home, but Shisui doesn't think now’s the right time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I don’t remember either of these two having a little sister.</span>
  </em>
  <span> “How old is the child?” Obito’s not exactly a man in his prime--he’s twenty-six. While it seems like the epitome of adulthood, Obito’s all too aware that he’s no more than a young man who has the privilege of acting like an adult.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The elder of the two crosses his arms, clicking his tongue. “She’s going to be thirteen next month.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Obito watches Itachi fidget for a moment. It’s unusual--he’s always so calm and clear-headed, which means this entire situation is upsetting him to the point that he can’t even stand still.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who is this girl to you, really?” he hears himself ask, burning with curiosity. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Why is she so important to them?</span>
  </em>
  <span> What has she done to earn such devotion from two who cut most ties with their village?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Her name is Uzumaki Naruto,” Itachi responds. “She is the daughter of the Yondaime Hokage and his wife. Throughout the village, she is hated and abused. For the first six years of her life, her only companion was a member of Konoha’s ANBU and our senpai, but after that, the Nara heir claimed her as a friend and shortly after, I stumbled into her presence myself. It wasn’t long before she met Shisui, and both of us seemed to gravitate to her. We started training her because the Academy teachers refused, but our bond ran deeper than that. Naruto has this uncanny ability to understand people after only meeting them once.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As it stands, we don’t know enough about the situation in Konoha to simply sweep in and steal her away,” Shisui adds, turning toward his lover once again. “We don’t even know if Naruto is aware of the bijuu, let alone if she would be able to learn how to control its power, yet.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Sensei’s daughter… These boys have formed a bond with Sensei’s daughter… protected her and helped her train…</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uzumaki Naruto isn’t ready for the truth,” he decides, looking Itachi in the eye. “I’m sorry, Itachi, but Yondaime-sama’s legacy isn’t ready to be taken away from home.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>When she’s older… At least a chunin.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>The youngest of his kin lets out a hiss, but he knows that he’s lost.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Somebody’s coming,” Shisui interrupts. The three of them turn to the door and Obito paces around the table to be closer to the entrance just before two shinobi pause at the threshold.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah,” the larger of the two utters, seemingly awkward. “Haku, I think this is the place that brat wanted us to find.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The smaller one bows slightly. “We’re sorry to intrude,” he begins, “but a friend of ours told us that this place is one of the hideouts of the organization that her brothers joined.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Obito turns, slowly, to face the other two, crossing his arms over his chest. “Explain.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>To his surprise, it’s Shisui that rubs the back of his neck, looking sheepish. “Ah… heheh, sorry Tobi-senpai! I haven’t told her our name, or any explicit locations. Just generalized areas in case she chooses to leave home on her own.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Itachi glares at his boyfriend.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why didn’t you simply say so in the first place?” Obito sighs, waving the two of them off before turning back to the newcomers. He barely notices when they exit the room through the door at his back. “Gentlemen, what exactly were you told?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s the older one that speaks this time, but Obito doesn’t miss the way he reaches for the younger’s hand, as though he’s seeking reassurance. Or, perhaps providing it. “We were told that this organization seeks peace across the nations. We’ve been trying to find a way to change the cycle of bloodlust in our country, but we’ve been going about it the wrong way.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She and her team were guarding our target,” the smaller one picks up. “I saw that my master was in danger and prepared to give my own life to save him, but she…” His gaze pierces into Obito’s mask, as though he’s trying to gauge the heart underneath. “She placed herself between me and the Copy Ninja’s assassination jutsu.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Just like Rin…? Kakashi… He has students? I’m surprised. Even so...</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>If she stepped in front of his </span>
  <em>
    <span>chidori</span>
  </em>
  <span>… There’s no way she could have survived that, right?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I still don’t understand why she saved me,” the boy continues, unaware of Obito’s spiralling thoughts. “But she insisted that we find her brothers. She was sure that joining this organization will be beneficial to both sides.” He clears his throat. “My name is Yuki Haku, and this is Momochi Zabuza.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Obito has no complaints about the newcomers--from what he has heard, Zabuza and his partner are worthy opponents. Honestly, Akatsuki could use a few more members to even out their numbers. </span>
  <em>
    <span>But</span>
  </em>
  <span> there’s only one thing Obito wants to know.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What happened to the girl?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Haku blinks. “Are you… one of her brothers?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Unfortunately, Obito hasn’t had the privilege of meeting Sensei’s daughter, but…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The two I sent away are her brothers,” he answers, shaking his head. “But I knew her parents.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Obito doesn’t miss it when Zabuza squeezes Haku’s hand. “I see. The girl was still resting when we left, but her team leader was sure she would make a full recovery.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span> A full… recovery?</span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. The Warmest Welcome</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Naruto gets home from her mission to Wave.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>YOU GUYS I SKIPPED A CHAPTER!!!!! :(((((( </p><p>(i color coded the document,,,, and then i still skipped a chapter.)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>[september; age twelve]</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Naruto bounds toward the village gates, relieved and pleased to be home because home means </span>
  <em>
    <span>Shikamaru</span>
  </em>
  <span>. She’s been trying so hard not to think about it, but a month away from her best friend is a month too long! All she really wants to do is go home and crawl into bed and </span>
  <em>
    <span>finally</span>
  </em>
  <span> get some real rest. Even though she’d gotten plenty of rest after her stunt on the bridge, Naruto has hardly been able to sleep. Her body hasn’t been able to fully heal because she hasn’t been able to relax, and she’s been running herself ragged because she doesn’t want her teammates to notice that she’s still recovering from her brush with death.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Usually her teammates have a hard time keeping up with her, so Naruto knows that she’s become sluggish in the last half hour or so--not that she was at full throttle when they left Wave. She’s hoping they haven’t noticed the strain, but with her luck…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi abruptly catches her by the arms and swings her onto his back without a word. As much as she wants to complain that she can make it to the Tower on her own, the journey really has taken the wind from her sails. She’s happy to be home, and she wants to go straight home, but they still have a mission to report.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>By the time that’s over with, though, Naruto really </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> beat. Jiji had insisted that she get checked out at the hospital, but Naruto doesn’t like the smell, and most of the healers are afraid of her. She promised to get a lot of sleep, and the Hokage had given the four of them two weeks off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So when Kakashi drops her off at home, Naruto trudges into the compound and plops onto the ground underneath Shikamaru’s favorite tree to wait until somebody takes notice of her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shikaku is the one who finds her--not that he was searching for her, exactly, but he has a habit of stopping by the tree to see if either of them are home. He ruffles her hair and pulls her to her feet with a smile. “Okaeri, Naruto-chan.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Naruto gives him her best grin and scratches at her cheek. “Tadaima, Shikaku-ji! Didja miss me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He leads her inside the house, hand resting on the top of her head. “Of course we did. Why don’t you go get cleaned up? You can tell us about your mission over dinner. Shikamaru should be home soon.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Great! I haven’t been able to sleep in weeks!” She gives him a quick hug before scurrying down the hall toward the bathroom. She’s tired and hurting, and telling them about the mission is going to be a pain, but it’s still </span>
  <em>
    <span>so</span>
  </em>
  <span> good to be home.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She’s sitting on the porch with her legs crossed when Shikamaru steps through the gate. She’s scrubbed clean with her hair hanging loose, wearing one of his t-shirts and a pair of her comfiest pants, but dinner won’t be for another hour, yet. She didn’t want to go lie down because she knew that if she fell asleep, she’d probably miss dinner. And Naruto’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>famished</span>
  </em>
  <span>, so she figured her best bet was waiting for Shikamaru to get home, that way she’d still be awake for the food and the company. In her opinion, family dinners at Shikamaru’s house are better than almost anything else in the world.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Unfortunately, she doesn’t have the strength to pounce on him like she really wants to, but she can at least surprise him with a hug, which is exactly what she does. “Shikamaru~!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His arms immediately wrap around her, but it takes him a moment to say “Naruto?”, which makes her think maybe he had trouble sleeping, too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I missed you </span>
  <em>
    <span>so</span>
  </em>
  <span> much!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you get skinnier? I knew those idiot teammates of yours would forget to feed you,” he grumbles, tightening his hold on her. “Are you alright? Nothing bad happened?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Naruto hums, hooking her chin over his shoulder. “Well… Shikaku-ji says I can tell you guys all about it at dinner. What did you get into while I was gone?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her best friend scoffs, picking her up and literally carrying her toward the house. Naruto catches herself blinking in surprise, hooking her legs around his waist and turning herself into a koala. Well, not literally, but that would be </span>
  <em>
    <span>cool</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Asuma-sensei kicked our asses in training, and I haven’t been able to get any real sleep since you left, but other than that, I didn’t get into much of anything.” He steps into the house and greets his parents without setting her down, but nobody says a word and Naruto has no complaints.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When the four of them are seated and food is placed, Yoshino-chan asks Naruto about the mission, and Shikaku-ji says he’s curious too, because she was gone longer than they expected.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, first of all, we barely made it an hour outside the village before these two ninja attacked us! I killed one of them, and Kakashi knocked the other one out, but I probably wouldn’t have noticed them if I hadn’t smelled them. I mean, they were disguised as puddles, which was also kind of obvious, but crazier things have happened.” Naruto blinks at their startled gazes. “Well, it wasn’t exactly fun, but my body kind of reacted without me having to think about it. I didn’t even know he was dead until Kakashi told me to let the guy go.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you know who they were?” Shikaku asks, face grim.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Thinking back, Kakashi did end up explaining what he knew about the two chunin who attacked them. “He called them the Demon Brothers. I think they were missing-nin from Kirigakure.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The man nods. “That’s not a bad first kill, Naruto.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks! Anyway, that’s not even the craziest thing that happened. Everything was fine until we were just outside of the town where the old man lived, but then one of the Seven Swordsmen attacked us, and Kakashi tried to take him on by himself, but I think he was a little shaken up, so he ended up getting trapped in Zabuza’s water prison jutsu, and I had to save him. So I clawed Zabuza’s ear off and held a kunai to his throat, and I told him I was a demon, too. Then made him let Kakashi go and told him to leave!” She swings her legs, chewing her food and thinking back while her family gazes at her in varying levels of horror. “We knew that they’d attack again because they were working for some Yakuza jerk, so we trained when we had the time, and I guess I trained too hard one day because I overslept. I knew something was wrong as soon as I woke up, so I left a couple of shadow clones behind and rushed to the bridge, only when I got there, Sasuke was stuck in some kind of barrier and Kakashi was tied up in a fight with Zabuza, so I asked the Kyuubi for help and we broke Haku-chan's ice mirrors to free Sasuke."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Naruto," Yoshino-chan asks. "You know about the Nine-Tails?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shikamaru clears his throat. "I asked Asuma-sensei what a jinchuriki is, so he told me."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Naruto nods. "Yeah, and my mom's letter said that the Kyuubi has been in Konoha for years, so…" She shrugs her shoulders. "Anyway, I knew that Haku and Zabuza weren't really bad people, they were just in a bad way. They ended up helping us defeat the Yakuza in the area after I saved Haku's life." Naruto rubs the back of her neck, grimacing at her foster family. “I think I traumatized Kakashi, though… He was using </span>
  <em>
    <span>raikiri</span>
  </em>
  <span> on Zabuza when Haku stepped in and I intercepted it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shikamaru’s hand clenches around her wrist. “Is that why you look like death warmed over?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His dad looks just as stricken, and his mom has her hand over her mouth. Naruto chews on her lip.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Naruto, </span>
  <em>
    <span>raikiri</span>
  </em>
  <span> is an assassination technique.” Shikaku leans back in his seat, rubbing his hand across his jaw.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Naruto thinks back to all the times Dog stumbled into her apartment drenched in the scent of blood that wasn’t his own, all the times he curled up on the floor next to her bed but couldn’t bring himself to tell her why he was falling apart at the seams. “That makes sense,” she decides evenly. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Poor Kakashi</span>
  </em>
  <span>. “I didn’t want to worry anybody, but I’m not fully healed, yet, because I had a hard time sleeping.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yoshino-chan hums, lifting up her chopsticks. “Well… Once you’re finished with dinner, why don’t you go on and lie down? Was your sensei doing okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shikamaru’s grip hasn’t loosened on her wrist, so she picks up her chopsticks with her left hand and shakes her head. “After we left Wave, Sakura asked about his teammates. I knew both of them died, but I didn’t know that Rin killed herself the same way… I don’t think there’s anything I can do to make up for putting him in that position, but I couldn’t let them die.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shikamaru follows her to his room with his hand still wrapped around her wrist. He doesn’t turn the lamp on, just pulls her into his arms on his bed and tucks her head under his chin. “I knew something was gonna happen,” he grumbles. He’d been so worried when she left, and Naruto hadn’t been able to assuage his fears at all. “Are you still in pain?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She hears what he doesn’t ask. </span>
  <em>
    <span>How close did you come to dying?</span>
  </em>
  <span> Naruto doesn’t know how to respond. She’d been so close to death that Kakashi shed actual tears over it, instead of his typical grieving silence.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There’s still internal damage,” she admits. “But I would probably be healed if I’d been able to sleep properly.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At least she’ll be able to sleep for tonight. She doesn’t know what it is, but sleeping by herself has always been hard to do. When she was little, sometimes Dog would sit by her side all night long, watching over her. It was always easier to sleep on those nights. Or when her brothers would stay with her at her apartment, Naruto never had any trouble sleeping, but they were busy and didn’t have a whole lot of free time to spend with her. What little time they did have, they made sure she could protect herself and had items in her possession that were necessary for her to take care of herself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Shikamaru is always able to stay </span>
  <em>
    <span>with</span>
  </em>
  <span> her, and that makes her feel safer than anything. He doesn’t have to leave halfway through the night, or after she falls asleep, or just before dawn. He’s been a near constant in her life since she was six years old. Nobody has ever ordered him to stay away from her, or demanded that he work harder to appease his clan, or asked to watch over her. He stays at her side because he wants to, and that’s the extent of it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can you promise me something, Naruto?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t die.” His heart pounds under her ear, the lullaby she’s been falling asleep to for almost seven years. “Please don’t be so reckless.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I can’t make that promise, Shikamaru.</span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Welcome To The Chunin Exams!</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>This isn't going to go the way you think :)</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Plot,,, more plot,,,, we're close to the end....</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>[october; age thirteen]</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Shikamaru flops onto the ground beside her, tucking his arms underneath his head. “So? Did Kakashi-sensei nominate you guys for the exams?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had, and she says as much, but Naruto isn’t quite sure that she and her teammates are ready for the chunin exams. As much as she loves Sasuke, he tends to get a little cocky. And Sakura spends more time fantasizing about marrying Sasuke (which isn’t going to happen) than she does training. If Naruto thought they’d grown as a team during their mission to wave, she was sorely mistaken.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>On the bright side, Sasuke at least acknowledges that Naruto’s taijutsu is still better than his! She </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> needs to thank Itachi and Shisui for that as soon as she sees them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you want to take them?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shikamaru has been even more protective than usual. Ever since the mission to Wave, he’s spent the majority of his free time at her side, even when she’s working. At this point, he might as well be her own personal cheerleader for how often she finds him watching her during training or missions.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It would be pretty great if we could complete them our first time around, but… our teamwork leaves a lot to be desired.” Naruto shrugs. “I guess if the other two sign up, I’ll have to. But it’s not myself I’m worried about.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He hums, rolling his neck to study her. “Which one are you worried about then? Sasuke or Sakura?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her eyes track a cloud that resembles a rabbit while she thinks. “I’m worried about both of them. Sasuke’s great, but he’s cocky, and he froze up during our Wave mission. And Sakura’s doing much better than she was when we graduated, but she’s still so </span>
  <em>
    <span>civilian</span>
  </em>
  <span> in her way of thinking… Even after everything that happened, it’s like she hasn’t quite realized that we’re supposed to be killers.” Naruto rearranges herself until she can use Shikamaru’s stomach as a pillow. “I take it Asuma-sensei nominated you guys, too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He flicks her hair. “Yeah. Ino is threatening us with a beatdown if we don’t put in our applications.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Typical Ino</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Naruto rolls her eyes. “Are you worried?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not exactly. I know it isn’t going to be easy, but who am I to tell Ino that she’s going to fail?” He pokes her cheek. “Maybe you should sit your teammates down for another dinner.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Maybe I should.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The kitchen is mostly empty and silent when Naruto sits herself at the table with a cup of tea. (</span>
  <em>
    <span>Mostly</span>
  </em>
  <span> empty and silent, because Yoshino-chan is in the middle of baking a cake to celebrate Naruto and Shikamaru entering the exams.) Her thoughts are going a mile a minute, but it has nothing to do with the Exams--it has nothing to do with work at </span>
  <em>
    <span>all</span>
  </em>
  <span>, actually. She swings her legs, resting her chin in her hand to wait for her tea to cool.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re looking a little forlorn, Naruto-chan.” Yoshino-chan smiles at her, encouraging and friendly. She’s Naruto’s favorite woman in the entire world because she always makes Naruto feel like she belongs. Effortlessly. “What’s on your mind? Are you worrying about the Exams?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, actually, no. Shika-chan already made me feel better about taking the Exams.” She squints at the table top. “Yoshino-chan, you can’t marry more than one person, can you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shikamaru’s mom laughs, setting her mixing bowl to the side and pulling out a chair. “Why do you ask? Do you want to marry more than one person, Naruto?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, yeah! I mean, I’d like to marry Shikamaru, but also… Well, in my mom’s letter, she said my dad hoped I’d marry Kakashi.” She pouts, meeting Yoshino-chan’s gaze. “And Kakashi’s great, too! Although he probably doesn’t know about that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>On the bright side, Yoshino-chan doesn’t look upset by this. “So, you marry who you love more.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But I love them both! People are always asking me why when I talk about my brothers, I’m never talking about Shikamaru or Kakashi. They’ve been in my life the longest, but I just don’t feel the same way about either of them that I do Itachi and Shisui and Sasuke!” How come people can’t understand that there’s a difference? “But then that leaves me with two boys I’d like to marry, and I don’t even know if either of them would even wanna marry me!” Naruto picks up her tea and sips from it, trying to calm down--there’s no sense in getting all worked up about it, she </span>
  <em>
    <span>knows</span>
  </em>
  <span> that, but… she doesn’t understand how she can love two people so much and have to </span>
  <em>
    <span>choose</span>
  </em>
  <span> between them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yoshino hums, tucking Naruto’s hair behind her ear. “Why don’t you just tell both of them how you feel so the three of you can come up with a solution together? After all, by the time you’re old enough to actually get married, your feelings might change.” She rises from her seat, returning to her tasks. “I’ve never heard of a person getting married to more than one other person, but I’ve heard of marriages where one or both of them are also in more than one relationship.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Like, you marry somebody, but you’re also dating somebody else?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“But if you love them equally, how do you pick which one to marry?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Another smile aimed her way. “That’s why you have to talk to them, Naruto-chan.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And with that,” Jiji announces to the room, “we’ve reached the end of the preliminary rounds for the third part of our Chunin Exams. In one month’s time, each of you who won your preliminary duel will demonstrate your skills in a tournament that will take place in the arena.” He dismisses them, waving a hand and exiting the floor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Naruto makes her way to Kakashi’s side while her teammates are distracted by their former classmates, unsurprised when he doesn’t look at her. “You’re gonna train Sasuke, aren’t you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She’s kind of disappointed, but at the same time, Sasuke hasn’t unlocked his sharingan, and it would make more sense for Kakashi to work one-on-one with him. Then again…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Actually, I’ve arranged for somebody else to work with Sasuke. I’ll pick back up with the rest of Team Seven after the Exams, but for now, my focus is solely on you.” Still, he doesn’t look at her, and when Naruto remembers to use her nose, she realizes it’s because he’s nervous.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But </span>
  <em>
    <span>Kakashi’s going to work with her</span>
  </em>
  <span>! </span>
  <em>
    <span>Only</span>
  </em>
  <span> her!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re really gonna work with me?” Does she sound as stunned as she feels? Does he realize that this is really all she’s wanted since she found out that he was their sensei?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He smells relieved, even as his tone takes on something a little more dark. “Now, don’t think I’m going to go easy on you just because you’re my favorite, Naru-chan.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her nose never lies, though, which means Kakashi had been afraid that she would ask for a different teacher. She tilts her head back to grin at him. “Ne, Kakashi~, you’ve been going easy on me since day one! I could use a real workout!”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I wonder if Jiji’s gonna complain about this</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I don’t care.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi tugs on one of her pigtails, sheepish and amused. “Maa, your teammates probably can’t handle the agony I’m going to put you through.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>By the end of the month, Naruto has to concede that Sasuke and Sakura probably couldn’t have undergone Kakashi’s harsher training methods. After Itachi and Shisui left, their clan had undergone a strange sort of reformation--the youngest of the clan weren’t pushed to work so hard that they had no sense of self, and the adults stopped getting their pride wounded over every little thing. It’s nice, though, because those are the things Itachi had admitted hating about his clan on more than one occasion, and he’d constantly worried about the effect that pressure would have on Sasuke.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Naruto agrees. Knowing Itachi, and all of the pressure he was putting on himself at thirteen, Naruto can’t imagine how different things would be if Sasuke had been under the same agonizing pressures as his older brother.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>On top of that, Sakura was born to a civilian family, and still hasn’t fully grown out of her fangirl phase. Naruto’s starting to think the girl never will.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Naruto can handle a little pain, though, especially the kind that’s rewarding and pays itself off. Not only has Kakashi trained her in elemental jutsu, but he has also helped her start training with her furry friend. He’d apparently gone to the Hokage and asked for information on how to help her because </span>
  <em>
    <span>she already knows the Kyuubi anyway.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Fortunately, Jiji had realized that there’s no denying the truth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her match against the terrifying Suna genin is the very last match of the first round, but Kakashi makes her arrive two hours early and perches beside her on the roof of the arena, insisting that they’ll stay on the roof until it’s time for her match, because </span>
  <em>
    <span>we’re going to make a grand entrance.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kakashi?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Naruto takes a deep breath. “You’ve told us about your teammates, but… well, you’ve never mentioned your sensei.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You really want to know?” He squints at her, but he doesn’t protest when Naruto leans against his side. “Well, alright. My sensei was known as the Yellow Flash.” He flicks her nose when her face stays blank. “His name was Namikaze Minato and he was the Yondaime Hokage. I was assigned to be his student right out of the Academy, which means I spent more time with him than Obito and Rin. The placements never changed much in the Academy, though, so we pretty much knew that they would be on our team. He took more of an interest in my personal life after my father died, and his wife… Well, she also made it a personal goal to make sure I was taking care of myself. I wasn’t so good at that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re still not very good at it, Kakashi,” Naruto murmurs, blindsided. Lord Fourth? Her father was the fourth Hokage? “What was he like?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi hums. “Minato-sensei was… bright. He was a devoted teacher, a doting husband, and I think… I think if he’d had the chance, he would have been a good parent, too.” That’s as close to an admission as Naruto thinks she’s ever going to get. Kakashi doesn’t know that she knows that his sensei was her father, but that doesn’t mean this isn’t his way of trying to tell her. “And when he became Hokage, he was very loved across the village. But he didn’t always agree with the elders on everything, and I think that’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>why</span>
  </em>
  <span> so many of the civilians loved him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Is he implying that the village elders don’t care for their civilians?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Minato-sensei is the one who suggested I join ANBU after Obito and Rin’s deaths. I wasn’t doing well, but even so, ANBU wasn’t the best place for me then. So, I was assigned to guard his wife instead. And when the Kyuubi was unleashed the night you were born, the youngest generations of shinobi were forced to stay out of the fight, and I wasn’t able to do anything when he was killed. So much for being ANBU, huh?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Below, Sasuke battles it out with Hyuuga Neji; two clan heirs with Visual Prowess, but Sasuke has never used the sharingan from what she understands. They seem to be talking an awful lot.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Naruto hopes that they don’t kill each other or something. Neji had been incredibly harsh with his own cousin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“People blame me for his death, don’t they?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her sensei pushes himself to his feet with a sigh. “Only the foolish ones, Naruto. You were an infant, how could you be blamed for the incident? Besides, Minato-sensei didn’t seal the Kyuubi into you out of cruelty--it wasn’t in his nature. If anything, the man had a lot of faith in you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She pretends she’s not affected by that, moving to stand at his side to await her own duel.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ve come very far in your training,” he adds out of the blue, glancing down at her. “I’m looking forward to just how incredible you’re going to become.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>[interlude four - gai - november; age thirteen]</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi has been Gai’s rival for a long time, more than twenty years, so he thinks he can read his friend fairly well. He does his best to be a constant in the man’s life, knowing that Kakashi has lost so many constants already, but for a while, his friend had seemed to be doing better.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When the girl was young, Gai distinctly remembers seeing Kakashi tail her every hour that he wasn’t on active duty. More than a few times, he’d witnessed the girl go bounding after him until she caught him. The very first time, it had been such a shock--he hadn’t been expecting it, but the real surprise had come when the girl had gone running… only to jump cheerfully into Kakashi’s arms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And Kakashi had caught her. And held her. And hadn’t complained once.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Of course, Kakashi had been in full ANBU garb every time it happened. Gai rarely ever saw him tailing the girl when he </span>
  <em>
    <span>wasn’t</span>
  </em>
  <span> in ANBU uniform, if he ever has.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But what really strikes him is that the girl has always been able to </span>
  <em>
    <span>find</span>
  </em>
  <span> Kakashi. ANBU aren’t supposed to be easy for a four year old to locate and attack, even if her attacks consist of simply hugging said ANBU (or climbing on him, or clinging to his pantleg).</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now, Gai has heard rumor after rumor about the girl, but he doesn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>know </span>
  </em>
  <span>her; he really doesn’t know anything about her. He’s never been the type of person to take rumors as facts, and he isn’t going to start now, but he </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> curious to know the girl. And he thinks maybe it would be good for his students to make some friends outside of themselves. He’ll have to convince Kakashi to do some sort of group training one of these days...</span>
</p><p>
  <span>What he really wants to know, though, is just what about this girl makes Kakashi tick? Why is he so attached to her? Why does he seem to work himself into knots over every little thing that concerns the girl?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Technically, it’s none of Gai’s business what happens between Kakashi and his students, barring the fact that Kakashi keeps working himself up about one of his students. As much as Gai wants to, he can’t bring himself to ask the burning questions piling up in his head. Kakashi stalked the girl when she was little, started doing everything in his power to avoid her when she was in the academy, and then became her jounin sensei? Even to Gai, it doesn’t make sense.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“RIVAL!” He lands on the concrete with his hands on his hips and a sparkling grin. “HOW IS MY RIVAL ON THIS YOUTHFUL SPRING DAY?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kakashi doesn’t glance up from the book in his hand, even though Gai can clearly see that he isn’t actually reading it. “It’s November, Gai.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The girl that has Gai’s rival constantly fretting is entering the arena for her duel with the Kazekage’s youngest child, and Kakashi’s eye is glued to her every move, as though he can’t look away from her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Say, Kakashi, You Look Worried, My Friend.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do I?” A moment passes and he tucks his book away, leaning his arms on the railing. “Naruto has informed me that her opponent is Suna’s jinchuriki.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>On Kakashi’s other side, the Nara Clan heir muffles a groan. “That kid’s nothing short of bloodthirsty,” he interjects. “I watched him kill another genin in the Forest of Death for no reason at all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Below, the match begins, and both Kakashi and the Nara boy tense up. Gai suppresses a sigh and braces his hands against the railing to watch.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The girl practically bounces across the testing ground, pigtails swinging with every step. She smiles at her opponent, but nothing about it seems even remotely faked. “Hi!” she chirps to the boy, who only blinks in response.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hayate coughs before declaring the start of the match.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Immediately, sand shoots toward the girl, the boy’s hand poised in the air. But Naruto manages to evade it, raising her hands and forming the seal for </span>
  <em>
    <span>Kage Bunshin</span>
  </em>
  <span>. She openly laughs when twenty of them pop into existence and head toward the redhead. She mixes herself in amongst the clones until Gai has a hard time trying to find the real one, and he watches, enraptured, when a dome of sand forms around the boy just in time for Naruto to leap into the air and break through the defense with a well-timed wind jutsu. “Your Student Is Abundant With The Springtime Of Youth, Kakashi!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That’s when things begin to go wrong. Distantly, Gai hears the other two sand shinobi starting to worry, and then he </span>
  <em>
    <span>sees</span>
  </em>
  <span> the issue: the boy is transforming before their very eyes. This is quickly becoming an international incident--in the Kage box, he can see the Kazekage rising from his seat, prepared to lift a hand, but then-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then </span>
  <em>
    <span>Naruto</span>
  </em>
  <span> is suddenly a glowing mass of gold light and black lines, chakra resembling flames licking over her clothes and hair. She aims a punch at the redhead’s stomach and knocks the wind out of him. As he goes down, the transformation falls away, and Naruto crouches at the boy’s side looking grim.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gai… has no idea what just happened. And a part of him hopes he never finds out.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>All’s well that ends well, I suppose.</span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. The Champion</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Promotions...</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em> [november; age thirteen] </em>
</p><p>Naruto crouches by Gaara’s side, letting Kyuubi mode fall away. She doesn’t have the fox's full cooperation, yet, but when Kakashi had started training her to use his chakra, some strange man had shown up and passed a key into her possession. The key was part of a scroll, and the scroll was part of a toad, and now the toad is in storage somewhere in her abdominal cavity. It’s disgusting, but somehow necessary, so Naruto hasn’t complained about it. At least, not out loud.</p><p>“How?”</p><p>His voice pulls her from her thoughts and Naruto frowns at him. “How what?”</p><p>“How did you beat me?” The boy's eyes look dead and empty, void of all emotion. “I fight only for myself and that makes me strong, so how?”</p><p>It sounds so absurd, but things in Suna are just as bad as they used to be for Naruto. And maybe nobody has come along to help Gaara through it. “Because I have people that I want to protect, and that’s what makes a person truly strong. Besides, I’m like you. I’ve been hated all my life for what I am, but instead of letting that pain control me, I’ve found people precious to me. They filled my heart with love and made all of the pain worth it. Now I can control my inner beast. Can you?”</p><p>“Precious?” He doesn’t bother getting up. Naruto will be surprised if he <em> doesn’t </em> have a few broken ribs.</p><p>“Yes. You could have people like that, too. What about your siblings? They don’t have to stick close to you, but they do.” She doesn’t move even when the medical team cautiously approaches. “I’ll never give up as long as I have somebody to protect, ‘ttebayo,” she adds. The boy’s eyes widen, teal irises alight with some kind of clarity.</p><p>He’s placed on a stretcher, but Naruto follows them for a moment, catching Gaara by the hand. “I hope you’ll be my friend.”</p><p>She can tell by the look on his face that nobody has ever wanted to be his friend before. With a smile, Naruto releases his hand and watches him get carried off before turning to the proctor. “Gekko-san, does that still count as a match?”</p><p>The proctor looks a little dazed as he shrugs his shoulders and turns toward the Kage box.</p><p>Jiji approaches the railing. He doesn’t need to silence the crowd because the crowd has been silent ever since Gaara began transforming, so Naruto can hear him clearly when he gives the proctor permission to continue the tournament. “This incident will be overlooked thanks to Uzumaki Naruto’s quick response,” he adds before returning to his seat.</p><p>With that, Gekko-san nods once, turning to Naruto. “Uzumaki Naruto wins this match. Please return to the contestant box while the next match begins.”</p><p>She makes her way to the contestant box, relieved that both Kakashi and Shikamaru are waiting for her. She doesn’t doubt that if Sasuke hadn’t taken a beating, he would be waiting for her, too.</p><p>“Well done, Naruto. You’ve really shown people what you can do.” Kakashi smiles at her with his eye, but she can easily read the tension in his shoulders, so Naruto grins and leaps into his arms.</p><p>Kakashi catches her, of course, because he always does. He hugs her for a moment, relieved, before setting her on her feet. Shikamaru pulls her in for his own hug while a man in green spandex appears at Kakashi’s side.</p><p>“YOU ARE ABUNDANT WITH THE SPRINGTIME OF YOUTH!” he announces loudly, giving her a thumbs up and a smile. Naruto’s pretty sure this is a friend of Kakashi’s, so she smiles back at him.</p><p>“Thank you, um…”</p><p>“Maito Gai! It Is A Pleasure To Finally Meet One Of Kakashi’s Precious Students!” He holds up a fist, a waterfall of tears pouring from both eyes. “My Rival Is So Cool And Hip That He Hasn’t Introduced Us Properly!”</p><p>
  <em> Eh? </em>
</p><p>Naruto grins, placing her hands on her hips. “My name is Uzumaki Naruto, ‘ttebayo!” She turns a faux glare on her sensei. “Ne, Kakashi~, how come you don’t want me to meet your friends?”</p><p>The man blanches, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. “Maa, maa, Naru-chan, we’ve just been so busy with missions and training-”</p><p>“Not to mention almost dying,” Shikamaru interjects dryly, pinching her whiskered cheek.</p><p>Naruto feigns betrayal, pouting at her boys while rubbing away the sting. “You’re so mean to me, Shika-chan.”</p><p>Her best friend rolls his eyes, pulling Naruto back under his arm and steering her toward the rest of the contestants. There’s nothing left for her to do but call a ‘good luck’ to Shino as he exits the waiting area for his fight with Gaara’s older sister before taking up a spot against the railing.</p><p>-</p><p>As the tournament continues, Shino defeats Temari just as he defeated her brother, and Naruto faces off against Neji. Unlike Sasuke, Naruto <em> was </em> trained by Itachi, though none of her former classmates actually know this except for her two teammates and Shikamaru, which means that her taijutsu is above par for most genin and even some of the newer chunin. But even then, Neji wasn’t in her class. His treatment of his own cousin, and his brutal beating of Sasuke, has Naruto wanting to show him that he’s not Top Dog. Surely he realizes that his supposed ‘role’ in life isn’t almost killing his cousin, right?</p><p>Naruto doesn’t doubt that Hinata’s cousin is talented, but that shouldn’t mean he has the right to treat people as if they’re worthless, which is why Naruto fights as hard as she can without calling on the Kyuubi chakra cloak. It was fair against Gaara, but that was only because he began transforming first, and Jiji allowed it. She doesn’t think it will put her through a second time.</p><p>It doesn’t matter, though. She pulls through her fight with Neji without the Nine-Tails’ help (another thing she has to thank Itachi and Shisui for, the fact that her taijutsu is strong enough to hold up against a genius like Neji’s), but her left leg and right arm are both completely numb by the time she puts him down for the count.</p><p>The final round comes down to Naruto and Shino. He’s a quiet one, so she really doesn’t know anything about him except that his family specializes in the use of parasitic insects. From what Shikaku-ji told her, the clan has a mutually beneficial relationship with their respective insects, and their bodies become hives for tens of thousands of them. Naruto, while initially disgusted with this, eventually decided that the symbiosis is honestly quite intriguing.</p><p>It also helps that in all of Shikaku’s lessons about the other clans of the village (mostly during their games of shogi), he taught her their biggest weaknesses, as well. Like the fact that Shino won’t be able to move fast enough to attack her if she’s at her fastest speed. Even then, he puts up a fight, but Naruto has an overwhelming abundance of chakra at her disposal on top of training from three of Konoha’s top ANBU, and so the fight ends in her favor.</p><p>Coming into the Exams, Naruto hadn’t expected to make it all the way through to the end. That isn’t to say that she’ll get a promotion--while it’s amazing that she made it all the way to the end while being a rookie genin, she <em> probably </em> could have forfeit at some point the way Shikamaru did, but honestly… Naruto <em> still </em> isn’t all that tired. Already, she’s beginning to feel rejuvenated. It’s almost like she could keep fighting despite the toll her body has taken throughout the day.</p><p>
  <em> It’s probably just adrenaline. </em>
</p><p>
  <b>Your clan is known for their vitality, brat. You would recover quickly even without my help.</b>
</p><p>
  <em> Eh? That’s kind of cool. Do you know anything else about my clan? </em>
</p><p><b>You’re descended from the Sage of Six Paths, </b>he admits, though he sounds put out about it.</p><p>
  <em> No way! </em>
</p><p>The fox doesn’t respond. In her mindscape, he curls up into a ball, burying his nose under a pile of fluffy tails and pointedly pretending she doesn’t exist. Still, it’s more than she expected from him. And now she’s going to have to do some research on the Sage of Six Paths that he mentioned. Unfortunately, that’s not one of the obscure topics that Shikaku-ji decided to teach her during shogi.</p><p>“Naruto!”</p><p>She turns around to see her teammates and the other competitors heading toward her, but Shikamaru makes it to her side first, sweeping her up into his arms and spinning her in a circle.</p><p><em> “Hey, how come Shikamaru never greets </em> me <em> like that?” </em> she hears Ino ask somebody, but Naruto ignores her because this is <em> her </em> moment.</p><p>She grins at her best friend when he puts her down, and smiles at Sasuke and Sakura. Sasuke still looks like he took a beating, but he’s conscious and walking, which means he must not be too worse for wear. “So, I guess I won, huh?” Naruto scratches her cheek, blushing when Shikamaru smirks at her.</p><p>“Well done, Naruto. You’re officially Tou-san’s favorite child.”</p><p>“You did great, Naruto,” Kakashi adds, squeezing her shoulder. He eye-smiles when she peeks up at him, totally oblivious to almost everybody else around her.</p><p><em> Man, who would’ve imagined I’d go from living off of rotten food to winning the Chunin Exam Finals? </em> Naruto smiles at her friends and classmates and tries not to think about how much she’s gone through to get to this point.</p><p>-</p><p>“After careful consideration,” Jiji begins, picking up a brush and dipping it in ink, “the village heads, council members, and your proctors have agreed that the two of you have surpassed your title of genin. In a vote that was almost entirely unanimous, it has been decided that the two of you are now Chunin of Konohagakure. Congratulations to you both.” He tilts his head up so that they can see his eyes beneath his hat. “I hope that you will not fail me in the future.”</p><p>A shiver travels down Naruto’s spine at the icy gaze her guardian gives them both, but she’s too giddy to let it really get to her. It isn’t long before the promotion ceremony is over, but just as Naruto turns to follow Shikamaru out the door, Jiji asks her to stay behind.</p><p>Everybody else files out except for an older man that Naruto only recognizes because he’s the one who gave her the key to the seal on her belly during training.</p><p>“Naruto-chan, I’d like you to meet one of my former students. This is Jiraiya. I want you to train with him for some time.” The Hokage chews on the end of his pipe. “I know that you already had a jounin sensei, but this is going to be a little different. Jiraiya is going to help you master and hone your abilities, as well as travel with you across the great nations in order to expand your horizons, as it were.”</p><p>“Jiji, I don’t want to leave the village. Why can’t I continue working with Kakashi?”</p><p>The old man sighs. “Kakashi still has two students who have yet to pass the Chunin Exam. Not only that, but you’re far too attached to him, Naruto.”</p><p>“He’s my friend! Am I not allowed to have friends, Jiji?”</p><p>“I’ve allowed you to keep friends, Naruto, but Kakashi is a valuable asset to this village and you distract him.”</p><p>Naruto pouts, crossing her arms. “Even if you force me to leave with this man, what makes you think I’ll bother listening to him? I don’t even know him! What if he’s creepy?”</p><p>“Unfortunately, Jiraiya has a tendency to peep on women,” Jiji concedes. “However, I was under the impression that you’ve mastered the Nine-Tails Cloak transformation. I’m sure you can handle anything Jiraiya attempts.”</p><p><em> I shouldn’t have to. </em> “I don’t wanna go, Jiji. What if something happens here and I’m not around to help? Isn’t that what a jinchuriki is supposed to do?” Naruto is perfectly aware that she’s grasping at straws. If the Hokage wants her to train with this man, she really has no choice, but…</p><p>“Uzumaki Naruto,” he responds shortly, making it clear that she’s beginning to test his patience. “I’ve been lenient with you over many things, including your disregard of the rules surrounding your living arrangements. If you keep pushing, I can make things much harder for you.”</p><p>“Now Sensei, surely we can work this out,” Jiraiya says placatingly. “We just need to give the kid some incentive.” He puts his hands on his hips, smiling at Naruto. “I can tell you anything you want to know about your parents, kid, as long as Sensei approves.”</p><p>Naruto blinks. “So, you’re saying you’d tell me who they were?” <em> Now’s the time… </em></p><p>He glances at Jiji, who massages a temple and waves a hand. “Sure kid, I can tell you that.”</p><p>She nods, dropping her arms to her sides. “I already know that my father was the Yondaime Hokage, and my mother was Uzumaki Kushina. They died on the night I was born because the Nine-Tailed Fox escaped from my mother’s seal, and my father was forced to seal him into me.”</p><p>The office is dead silent for several seconds. The time passes so slowly that Naruto feels like she stares the men down for a year. Jiji is impossibly still, and his former student, the pervert named Jiraiya, is so pale that Naruto wonders if his blood is even flowing at all.</p><p>“Who told you?”</p><p>Naruto smiles brightly at both of them. “Nobody! I asked some misleading questions that people answered because they didn’t know what I already knew. I overheard someone talking about the law stating that nobody is supposed to talk about it, and then I found a box in my apartment that held a letter from my mother in it, and then I asked someone who Kakashi’s sensei was, because my mother’s letter said that Kakashi was my father’s student.”</p><p>She knows that after all of this, Jiji’s still going to send her away with the pervert for who knows how long, but at least he’ll know that the secret can’t be held over her head anymore.</p><p>Jiraiya steps forward. “Alright, kid, you’re pretty smart. I’ll give you that. But what you don’t know is that I can tell you things about your parents that Kakashi can’t. I was Minato-chan’s teacher, and you were named after a character from a book I wrote.”</p><p>She slumps. “When are we leaving?”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. It's Not Goodbye, I'll See You Later</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Kakashi has some things he needs to sort out.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is it! I'll see you all again when I finish the sequel! &lt;3</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>[interlude five - kakashi - november; age thirteen]</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>She’s really something else.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kakashi sighs as he pulls himself together for the day ahead, regretting every thought about Naruto that isn’t strictly platonic. He hates that his feelings always seem to plow forward without his consent when it comes to her, but there’s really nothing for it--his self control goes out the window the second he sees her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>If only Sandaime-sama wasn’t sending her away with Jiraiya-sama, I’d have more time to figure these feelings out.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She’s leaving today.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kakashi never viewed himself as a sentimental person; however, he’s coming to realize that his own perception of himself is fairly skewed. More than anything, he doesn't want Naruto to leave. It’s only been a week since the conclusion of the Chunin Exam, and only four days since her promotion to chunin. One week where he hasn’t seen very much of her, and now she’s leaving.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>What’s worse is that she’s leaving with </span>
  <em>
    <span>Jiraiya</span>
  </em>
  <span>, who, unlike Kakashi, actually </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> a pervert. Sure, Kakashi puts on airs, and he thinks Jiraiya’s books are good reads, but-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He’s not </span>
  <em>
    <span>actually</span>
  </em>
  <span> as perverted as he wants people to think he is. Mostly, the books are a shield to separate himself from anybody that might attempt to get too close. Unfortunately (or fortunately), they never seemed to work on Naruto.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He’s joined by both Sasuke and Sakura on his way to the gates where he knows he’s not the only one going to see her off (i.e. Shikamaru), but he’s a little surprised when he finds a few more of her classmates there, as well.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jiraiya stands off to the side while she says goodbye to the group as a whole, looking for all the world like he’d wanted to avoid any goodbyes (as well as avoid Kakashi).</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When Naruto turns to her two teammates, she hands Sakura a key and Sasuke a stack of envelopes. “Now, Sakura-chan, you’re welcome to borrow my apartment whenever you need to, but don’t forget that there’s no hot water, okay? And Sasuke, don’t you dare lose any of those letters, or I’ll hunt you down and give you a real good beating.” She grins at the two of them, though, allowing them to pull her into a hug.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It leaves Kakashi and Shikamaru’s goodbyes for last.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He doesn’t expect her to grab them both by the hand and drag them away from the others, and he certainly doesn’t expect her to suddenly turn shy the minute they’re out of earshot.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So, um…” She produces another envelope, pressing it into Kakashi’s hands. “My mom wrote this for me,” she explains, “and I may have left out some details when I told you about it.” Naruto steps back to study them both, wringing her hands. “Shikamaru, do you remember the day we got our team assignments, and the thing I told you that your mom asked me?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When Kakashi glances at the Nara heir, Shikamaru’s cheeks are bright red. “Yeah, I remember.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, that letter says the same thing about Kakashi.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Eh? What does it say about me?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shikamaru hums, slipping his hands into his pockets. “So, why don’t you just marry who you want to?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>What?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His former student beams at them, whiskered cheeks turning pink. “Because I wanna marry both of you, Shika-chan! So, while I’m gone, you guys have to figure out which one of you would rather marry me, if either of you would even want to in the first place.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>...marry one of us?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Even if Kakashi was able to speak, or think, or breathe, he doesn’t think he’d be able to find the words to ask the question he feels he needs to ask, like </span>
  <em>
    <span>since when am I supposed to marry Naruto?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kushina’s letter suddenly feels like the heaviest thing in the world. Did Sensei and Kushina want Naruto to marry Kakashi? Shouldn’t he have been one of her brothers? </span>
  <em>
    <span>She has an abundance of brothers, though…</span>
  </em>
  <span> But </span>
  <em>
    <span>why</span>
  </em>
  <span> would her parents ask her to marry somebody like Kakashi? Not only that, why would Naruto </span>
  <em>
    <span>consider</span>
  </em>
  <span> it? Kakashi hasn’t even been constant in her life. Surely he could have tried harder to make things easier for her-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Looks like Ero-Sennin is getting impatient,” Naruto says, plowing through the wall his thoughts had formed and throwing herself into his arms. “I don’t know how long I’m gonna be gone, but Jiji said it’s for a couple years </span>
  <em>
    <span>at least</span>
  </em>
  <span>, so I guess we’ll have to find some way to keep in touch with each other!” All too soon, she’s leaving his arms to hug Shikamaru and then disappearing out of the gate with Jiraiya.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So,” Shikamaru begins as the rest of the group disperses, leaving the two of them watching after Naruto even though she’s almost out of sight by now. “Are you in love with Naruto?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kakashi chokes on his next breath, uncomfortable with the implication the boy’s question suggests. “She’s thirteen!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, but she’s also mature beyond her years and has faced death more than anybody else in our age group.” The boy shrugs. “I’m just saying, there’s nothing to be ashamed of. I know you two are really close, so I think it’s a fair question.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Am I in love with Naruto?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The answer, however unexpected, comes to him easily. Kakashi sighs, opening the letter Kushina must’ve written to Naruto when she realized that her pregnancy ran the risk of unleashing the Nine-Tails.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>What he finds inside is not what he was expecting.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>My dearest daughter,</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>I suppose, if you’re reading this, it means I’m not there to tell you any of this in person. Your name is Uzumaki Naruto, my little maelstrom, named for the lost Clan of Uzushio and the hero of the Toad Sage Jiraiya’s first (and best) novel.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>There were many branches of the Uzumaki Clan when I was a child, but our blood is royal blood. Your grandfather was the Yondaime Uzukage. The wife of the Shodaime Hokage was your great great aunt.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>There are two bloodline limits you have the possibility of inheriting. My mother had the ability to create chains of chakra strong enough to contain a tailed beast--it’s part of the reason I was chosen, and if I’m dead, it’s a great possibility that you’ve inherited the beast from me, too. The other possible bloodline limit you could possess is from my father’s side of the family. His mother had a special healing ability in her chakra that could be used to heal others when they bit her. While I don’t like the idea of people biting my daughter, you might test this ability if you ever feel the need to, if it would save somebody precious to you. Do not take these powers lightly, my love. In the wrong hands, this information could be used to harm you.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>I was already on my way to Konoha to contain the Kyuubi no Kitsune when my people were destroyed, so I didn’t learn about the destruction of Uzushio until I reached the village. It was hard for me to fit in here, at first. I couldn’t make friends because I was a foreigner, but I couldn’t leave because I was the new Jinchuriki of Konoha.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>And I was so angry.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>I was angry until the night foreign ninja killed my family and kidnapped me. Your father is the one who rescued me from the abduction, and I fell in love with him almost immediately. He made me feel safe, and told me I was beautiful and strong, and we’ve been together ever since.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>I’m sure you know your father already, but I want to tell you about the rest of your family. Your father was in charge of a genin team containing Hatake Kakashi, Nohara Rin, and Uchiha Obito.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Obito was killed on a mission during the Third Shinobi War. He was always late to training and his missions, but he had a tendency to help anybody who asked for it. His dream was to become Hokage and have a big family of his own. He died a hero, and he would have adored you. He would’ve called you ‘little sister’ and would have beat up anybody that made you cry.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Rin committed suicide less than a year later, after being abducted by foreign ninja and turned into an unstable jinchuriki. She was kind-hearted and smart, and she always did her best to keep her teammates from fighting. She was training to be a healer, and I have the feeling that she would’ve gone very far in life. Obito was very much in love with her. She would’ve loved you so much.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Kakashi is not so easy to describe. He’s very serious and hard-working. And he carries a pain in his heart that isn’t easily scrubbed away. I believe it’s your father’s hope that Kakashi will one day fall in love with you, and that you’ll be able to help him heal. Your father forgets that Kakashi is emotionally crippled and has been for years.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Kakashi is a very talented boy. He graduated from the academy at five years old, and became a chunin at six. He became a jounin at twelve, just before Obito’s death. He blames himself for that, and for Rin’s, too.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>I hope that you’ll help us look after Kakashi, darling. He may be smart, but the boy doesn’t know how to take care of himself. It’s no better now that he’s been placed in ANBU. He’s trying to rid himself of his identity by becoming ‘Dog’, because ‘Dog’ has no need for emotions.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>My sweet daughter, I wish I could have told you all of this in person. I bet you’re a beautiful girl with a big heart and enough passion to change the world. If you look anything like your father, all the boys your age should be swooning over you.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>I love you, Naruto. I understand the burden you must carry as a girl without a mother, and as the jinchuriki of the Kyuubi, but just know that you’re strong enough to face the world and come out on top. I have faith in you, we both do.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Be wary, my daughter. People with power often become twisted by it. Never trust the ones who try to isolate you.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>If you ever feel confused or scared, find Kakashi. I know that he’ll do everything in his power to keep you safe.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Take care, my little maelstrom. The eddies and tides are watching over you, and your mom is, too.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>All my love,</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Mom</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kakashi’s heart clenches painfully in his chest, leaving him gasping for air; he barely notices Shikamaru reaching out to grasp his arm.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Why is this happening to me?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She’s only been out of the gates for a few moments, but already it feels like an eternity. Kakashi wonders how Shikamaru’s going to cope with it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“She’ll be fine,” he insists softly. His gaze is on the village gates, but he continues to grip Kakashi’s arm, offering silent support.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kakashi hums. “It’s not Naruto that I’m worried about, necessarily.” But he’ll figure it out. He’s fine, he’ll be fine until she comes home. And if… if the boy beside him loves Naruto, too, then he’ll be fine when he tells them to get married. It’ll be fine.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>I just have to keep telling myself that and maybe I’ll start believing it.</span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>IF YOU GOT A CHAPTER UPDATE AFTER READING THIS CHAPTER, GO TO THE CHAPTER <em>The Warmest Welcome</em> BECAUSE I FORGOT TO FUCKING POST IT :)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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